


Batman Continues

by Tando



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Campy, F/M, Gen, High School Drama, Light Romance, Multiple Perspectives, Mystery, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, POV First Person, Realistic, Slow Build, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-13
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-02-10 07:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2016633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tando/pseuds/Tando
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Years after the reign of the original Batman, others are now assuming his identity and the identities' of his many adversaries. Katherine, is one of them, but when a drug called Joker Venom begins circulating through her high school, it becomes a game of who's who as it's students begin taking on the identities' of Batman's friends and foes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I'll admit it upfront, I didn't really grow up with Batman. My father was a big fan of the 1960s Adam West show and we often watched it together during my early childhood but otherwise there wasn't really much of Batman around. People were still recovering from Batman and Robin, and while I got to watch glimpses of re-runs of Batman: The Animated Series and the then new Teen Titans, my mother refused to let me watch them because she felt they were "too dark". This also came true when the Nolan trilogy started coming out and I was never allowed to see any of these films in theaters. In this fanfic I hope to achieve a marriage between the dark and campy aspects of Batman, granting the tone shifts aren't too jarring. So stay tuned, same Bat time, same Bat channel!

A dark figure can be seen climbing the roof of the Gotham City Jewelry Store at the edge of the city's financial district. As the figure scales the building, the light snow and city headlights accentuate the figure's dark outfit. Two figures are already inside the jewelry store when this shadowy figure reaches the roof. They're dressed in black winter coats and ski masks, their gloved hands cracking open the glass display cases. Jumping through the already open window, the masked figure hides behind a tall display case, concealing his tall stature. One robber walks back to the cash register, precariously passing the masked figure on his way. The dark figure follows him, and crouching low, gets behind him and cups one hand over his mouth and pulls him behind the counter. The other robber, noticing the scuffling sounds and the absence of his partner, begins to slowly walk towards the register, reaching for his gun. Before he can pull it out, the masked figure jumps out from behind the counter and tackles the robber, slamming him into the already broken display case. He slams his head into the hard wood of the display case, and the criminal passes out. The masked figure then walks over to the landline phone by the register,

"Hello, 911. What's your emergency?"

"Hello, There's been a robbery here." he tells the operator in a deep voice before hanging up.

The masked figure then climbs up onto a display case in order to jump back up through the window he came from and disappears into the night.

I return home to find the house and the driveway still empty. I let out a sigh, and look at the clock on the microwave. 2:00 A.M., what is going on at Wayne Enterprises that would justify Aunt Jennie staying so late at work? I walk upstairs to my room, and change out of my costume. I watch a helicopter fly over the financial district from my bedroom window. That couldn't be for the criminals I apprehended, there must be something bigger going on in the city tonight. I always seem to miss out on the bigger crimes, probably to my benefit. I'm not ready for the big fish yet anyway, better to just do my part as I can for now. I slip into my pajamas, wrap my costume into it's box in the back of the closet before hopping into bed. Just as I'm about to fall asleep, I hear a car turn into the driveway and someone opening the door downstairs, "Katherine? Are you still awake?" an older female voice whispers, peeking in through my bedroom door.

Even though I'm suppose to be fast asleep, I can't help but smile.


	2. A Typical Day

The long hallways of Gotham County High School are fairly empty when I arrive. This isn't really surprising, seeing as how it's more than an hour before school starts. I walk down the hallway to the gymnasium locker rooms. The minute I get there, I am greeted by several other girls,

"Kathy, there you are!" a tall, unnaturally thin girl greets her.

"Hey Tara, I'm not late, am I?"

Tara shakes her head, "Nope, you just made it. But hey, looks like we're going to have a practice at lunch today. The basketball game against Disco Tech is on Friday, and most of the squad still hasn't memorized the new routine."

I nod. We walk to my gym locker where I change into my cheer uniform. The school's mascot is the Gotham Bats, in honor of Batman. Along with that, the school colors are black, and a very dark grey, giving the cheer uniforms a gothic look. After changing, Tara and I walk out to the gym, where several other Gotham High cheerleaders are already warming up.

"Okay team! Warm ups are over, it's time to get started! Let's start with the pre-game cheer! Everyone to their positions!"

The squad gets into their formation for the pre-game cheer. I put my long dark red hair into a ponytail and take my position next to Tara, the head cheerleader. We run through the dance segment before forming the ending pose.

"Good job ladies!" a male voice calls out.

The girls relax as a blond haired, blue eyed teenaged boy approaches them. Tara runs over to him and pulls him into a big hug,

"Pudding!" she cries as he catches her.

"Dang Tara, you're acting like you already own him." Sydney, another cheerleader, comments.

"Relax girls. There's plenty of Frank to go around." the boy, Frank tells them with a relaxed confidence.

The girls giggle.

"Hey Kat, good luck at the Debate Decathlon semifinals today." he tells me, to my utter surprise.

He must have read the article that Martin wrote for the Gotham High Oracle.

I smile, "Thanks Frank."

"I heard that you guys blew Wayne High out of the park last time. Your team had a pretty good argument on how to solve Gotham City pollution."

Okay…

Tara looks at him, "Umm, Frank? What are you talking about? You follow the debate club?"

Frank suddenly bites his lip in embarrassment, "Umm...well, I just heard some nerds talking about it, that's all."

The girls giggle and laugh with Frank for the rest of cheerleading practice. No wonder we need more practices, he's coming in here everyday and distracting the other cheerleaders. I step off to the side and practice my cartwheels and round offs. Due to school budget cuts they cut P.E. as a class, so now everyone has to participate in a team sport in order to earn their P.E. credits. I took gymnastic and ballet classes when I was little, so cheerleading seemed like a no-brainer to me. And I joined the school debate team because my history teacher is the teacher administrator for the debate team and she suggested that I join. It can be a weird mix, especially considering the dual sets of friends I've made in both activities, but that's what I've always been, a weird mix. But I never thought that mix would include becoming a vigilante crime fighter.

We hit the showers half an hour before school starts. Frank jokingly tries to follow us into the locker room, but he's stopped by the girls flirtatiously pushing him aside.

"Pudding?" is the first thing I ask as we head over to the gym lockers.

Tara nods, "We're kind of unofficially dating."

"Honestly, I think you could do better." Sydney tells her. "He's cute and all, but otherwise he's a loser."

"I know he's a dork, but that's all part of the charm. I like an underdog." Tara tells her, taking her blond hair out of her usual pigtails.

After showering, the girls change and head out into the hallways to get ready for class. I separate from them to head off to my hall locker. I open up my hall locker and get all of the books for my morning class.

"Morning Katniss!" a chirpy male voice calls out.

I turn around to see a slightly short boy with light brown hair and blue eyes. I smile at him,

"Morning Joey, and please don't call me Katniss."

"But, but your name is Katherine, and I've heard some people call you Kat, and, and, mix that around a little, you get Katniss from the Hunger Games books! Which are _way_ better than the movies by the way."

I roll my eyes while still smiling, "I know, I just don't think it suits me."

Joey starts jumping in place, trying to get up to my height, "But it sounds so cool!"

"What sounds cool?" a scratchy, hushed voice asks.

Joey uses his final jump to swivel around, "Martin, morning! I was explaining to Katniss here how cool her name is."

A tall, slender boy with neatly cut curly blond hair approaches them. Despite his impressive height, he's rather plain, sporting a yellow v-neck t-shirt under a thick black winter coat with grey skinny jeans and black Vans, "Whatever you prefer." Martin tells him.

"I prefer Katniss! Kat reminds me of a Kit-Kat bar, and Kathy just…isn't really you." Joey tells her.

"Tara would disagree with you. She's the one who gave me that nickname." I tell him as I close my locker and we head to our first class.

Joey waves that away with a raspberry, "We all know how many brain cells Queen Bee Tara has. It's the number of guys on the football team she _hasn't_ dated."

Martin looks confused, "A human can't function without any brain cells…"

Joey nods, "And here's my theory on how she functions without them…"

I roll my eyes as Joey explains his ludicrous theory on how Tara's a robot put into normal society as an experiment by the government. We stop at Joey's locker as he continues to ramble off his story. He removes his green parka and stuffs it in his locker. Thanks to generous donations from Wayne Enterprises, our school has a really nice central heating system. It's really useful. It can get cold in Gotham City, but it's now February so it's not as bad as previous months.

"Did you guys hear that there might be a new Joker in Gotham?" Martin asks out of no where.

Joey rolls his eyes, "Here we go again. You and your Batman fanaticism."

"But, it's personal this time, not something I saw on the news! Lately, walking home from debate club, I've been seeing Jack Napier Clowning Supplies trucks driving around the city. And the drivers are always burly men wearing clown masks!" he explains.

"How is that relevant to the Joker? Is that where he got his stupid suit?" Joey asks.

"And Martin, what are you doing walking around Gotham City at night? You should just take the bus, it's much safer." I tell him.

He nods admittedly, "I know. See, the thing is, in addition to the Jack Napier Clowning Supplies trucks, I swear I've been seeing a Batman around the school grounds at the same time we get out of debate club! Someone at school might be dressing up as Batman!"

Oh shoot. I've been worried that someone would see me. I usually go straight to crime fighting right after debate club, and I bring my Batman costume to school to change into immediately after debate club ends. It must have been me he saw.

"Seriously?! Someone at school is dressing up as Batman?!" Joey jumps in surprise.

I clench my fists and try to appear normal, "That isn't really surprising. Have you seen how many people dress up as Batman nowadays?"

Martin shrugs, reverting back to his usual calm self, "Yeah, that's true."

Joey nods in agreement, "Hey, who do you think this guy is?"

Martin adjusts his beige shoulder bag, "Well, we get out at the same time the basketball team gets out. It's very possible our Batman could be one of them."

I nod too, keeping myself in the conversation, "That makes sense. You'd have to be pretty athletic to be Batman."

"Yes, but Batman also has to be intelligent. He's a detective after all. And that pretty much eliminates all of the guys on the basketball team."

I split off from Martin and Joey as I head to my first class. The school hallways have a pristine, clean feel to them. I walk along the granite tiled floors and I feel my blue Converse hit the ground with every step. How much longer could I keep my secret? Martin has already seen me once in the Batman costume. Who's to say he won't try to catch me again? In other words, I need to be more careful.

I sit down at my first class, Spanish. Today we're reading Romeo and Juliet in Spanish. Frank is a fluent Spanish speaker, and is reading the part of Romeo. Sydney, who's reading the part of Juliet, speaks at a much slower pace than Frank, while our Romeo has his leather winter boots on the table,

"Romeo, if only you applied your skills more appropriately, you'd be in a much higher level Spanish class." Ms. Gonzalez tells him.

Frank just shrugs, "I'm just taking Spanish because it was the only romantic language I didn't know."

"Frank, you speak French and Italian?"

Frank jumps in his chair, his feet flying back to the ground, "No, you'd think I'd know French or Italian? I barely know English!"

Ms. Gonzalez gives Frank a quizzical look before continuing.

The bell rings for lunch, and, after picking up a ham sandwich and a bottle of water from the school cafeteria, I head over to the gym for cheerleading practice. I chew my sandwich as I walk through the hallways. Some students I pass are cleaning off some hallway graffiti, messily sprayed green question marks, that's a new one.

Tara is the only one stretching in the gym when I get there,

"Hey Tara, low turnout?"

She climbs out of her split, straightens her skirt, and picks up her pom-poms, "Yep. I understand though. They all have boyfriends and more important things to do..."

I nod. It's strange though, how Tara doesn't have a boyfriend. She has a desirable figure, blond hair, and a pretty face. Is something bigger going on with her? Sure she has Frank, but that's just casual flirting, at least for now anyway. Who knows, maybe she and Frank will get together for real sometime soon.

Practice ends with Tara and I trying to replicate our ten people pyramid with just the two of us. Tara calls it quits and we hit the locker rooms.

"Hey, you wanna hang out after school today?" Tara asks out of the blue. "Me, Sydney, and a couple of the other cheerleaders are planning on going to Cornerstone."

Ah yes, Cornerstone Drug and Liquor store. The cheerleaders like to hang out there after school, mostly because they can convince the store owner to sell them drugs and alcohol from the back of the store in exchange for "favors". I've gone once or twice but I've always been a proud square and I have debate club after school anyway.

"Can't. Debate Decathlon semifinals are today. Maybe afterwards I'll swing by Cornerstone and see if you guys are still there."

This is the excuse I usually give. While I am true to my word, they're almost never still there. Tara smiles anyway, pleased with the usual compromise, "Don't worry, we'll still be there, trust me, Brad's got some new stuff and it's really good."

I bite my lip. I've been her friend all year, and it's a wonder I'm still clean.

"Don't look so tense. I know you're not into that kind of stuff. Just hang out with us, relax. I can even get Brad to give you some free Junior Mints."

Junior Mints are my favorite. As a kid I would use them as hockey pucks and flick them across the table, much to the dismay of my parents.

My afternoon classes are a blur of unnecessary review as I prepare for the Debate Decathlon semifinals. What will the topic be this time around? Last time it was the state of the city's rising air pollution and if and how Gotham City should be counteracting it. Of course we decided that yes, something should be done with it. If I continue as Batman, climbing up into the smoggy skyscrapers, I'll develop asthma within a year.

The bell rings to signal the end of school. I walk to the auditorium on the first floor, where the debate club meets. Martin and Joey are already there, putting on the team shirts.

"Great, you're here. The opposing high school will be arriving in a couple of minutes so, take a t-shirt and head up onstage." Winifred, the captain of the debate club, tells me informatively, tossing my a t-shirt.

"Thanks."

I head up onstage to meet the other members. I put on the team shirt over my own red t-shirt. The team shirt is dark grey with a circular black and yellow bat logo. I admit, it's dorky, but so what? We're not here to model for t-shirts, we're here to discuss serious issues. But I wonder how serious people would take us if we talked about serious issues wearing the Batman logo from half a century ago?

"Hey, the other team's here." Martin points.

The six members of the opposing team walk into the auditorium, all sporting crisp school uniforms. Five guys, one girl. The boys are wearing navy blue blazers over white button down shirts with red ties and beige slacks. The sole girl of the group is wearing a pleated navy blue skirt instead of slacks.

"It's Gotham Academy." Joey whispers.

Gotham Academy is considered the best private school in Gotham City, and is known as the alma mater of many famous Gotham City figures. The opposing team takes their place on the opposite side of the stage. Martin walks up to the opposing team and snaps a picture of them with his iPhone before introducing himself,

"Martin O'Connor, Gotham High Oracle. I'm also on the debate club, so I cover all of our events. It's an honor to have you guys here. I could send you guys the picture if you want."

The Gotham Academy students stare at him before looking amongst each other. The girl of the group is the first to respond, "Umm…thanks. You can just post it on our school's Facebook page."

The girl has perfect skin and straight dark brown hair in a neat ponytail. When she speaks, she doesn't take her eyes off the ground. Her voice is clear and commanding, but her expression suggests she's rather shy.

Meanwhile, Martin has a naturally quiet voice, but he is in no way shy,

"Alright then. Good luck to you guys!"

He runs back over to our side, slipping his iPhone back into his pocket. The referee takes center stage, and both teams become quiet.

"Welcome to the Debate Decathlon semifinals. Gotham High against Gotham City Academy. Today's topic is not only important in our city, it's being talked about right as we speak at Gotham City Hall. As you all may or may not know, many years ago, the entire section of Old Gotham was walled off and turned into a prison for the many previous residents of Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison, which were then unsuitable to house prisoners due to unforeseen events. In this walled off environment, criminals were allowed to do as they pleased, as long as escape was not attempted. Many problems arose when this idea was put into action and was eventually dismantled after Arkham and Blackgate were rebuilt. Now, decades later, with Gotham City prisons grossly overcrowded, the Arkham City Project is being reconsidered. Should the Arkham City Project be resurrected? If so, what sort of precautions should all forces involved take, and if not, what could be an alternative to the overcrowded prison problem? Both teams have ten minutes to discuss, and both arguments will be judged/mediated by me, Julia Wayne."

The students freeze for just a moment, before huddling in circles to discuss.

"Okay, so what do you guys think?" Winifred asks.

"I say absolutely not. I've researched the incident, countless common prisoners were killed in that incident, mostly by other prisoners who were fighting for territory. It was just one big gang war." Martin informs.

Winifred nods, "Alright, so what should we present as an alternative? I propose we build another prison or we expand on one of the current ones."

"Aren't they expanding Arkham Asylum already? We could propose to do the same with another prison giant like Belle Reve or Blackgate." Joey proposes.

Winifred nods, "Alright then, it's settled. We propose that they expand another prison to accommodate the growing prison population. All in favor say: I."

We all give our collective "I" and return to face our opponents, who seemed to still be talking amongst each other. Not very low talkers, some of their argument could easily be heard,

"...the Gotham City crime rate..."

"...growing criminal population..."

"...teenaged super criminals..."

Martin turns to Joey and I, "Hey, you guys wanna hear something?"

I look at him impatiently, it's the semifinals, how can he be this calm?

"I have an idea of who the original Batman was."

Joey turns around immediately, "But will that help us find the school's Batman?"

"This is something bigger than the school's Batman. We're talking about the guy who started it all."

I sigh, "Martin, I know you love Batman, but we're in the middle of the semifinals right now! You can talk about Batman as much as you want when we finish."

Martin returns the sigh, but then nods. The Gotham Academy team disperses their circle and walks over to their side. The referee retakes center stage,

"Good, now, both teams may present their proposals. Gotham High is first."

Winifred steps up onto our team's podium and starts presenting our proposal to expand one of the larger prisons in the area to accommodate the flow of incoming prisoners. She steps down when she's finished, as calm and collected as ever. The referee nods before looking to Gotham Academy. One of the boys of the group, the shortest and thinnest with neat black hair, steps up to the podium,

"We propose that the Arkham City Project be reenacted under these specific terms: that the city itself is only designated for prisoners under the death penalty, and that no prisoner under the category, "Super criminal" be placed there."

Of course they disagree with us, it always works out that way.

"Alright. Since the two teams disagree, each team will send one of their members up to their podium to argue their proposal."

We huddle back into our circle.

"Okay. Martin, you seem like the expert here. Represent us." Winifred tells him.

Martin bites his lip, but nods. Hands in his pockets, he strides up to the podium. The short boy of the group meets him on the opposite podium,

"For Gotham High, Martin O'Connor, and for Gotham Academy, William Wayne."

As in the son of billionaire socialite Julia Wayne? Then, that means the girl in the group is his twin sister Talia Wayne. Wow, how could I not have realized who they were? The Wayne family is featured in the news all the time. Martin's certainly got his work cut out for him.

"Why do you think the Arkham City project would be a good idea, William?" the referee asks.

"It's Will and my team feels that the Arkham City Project can succeed if done correctly. Much of Old Gotham consist of slums packed full of criminals anyway. Why can't we at least put these slums to use?"

I live in what can be considered Old Gotham. Yes a lot of it is dirty slums and abandoned buildings but not all of it is.

"Martin, do you have a rebuttal to this?"

"Yes, I do. While Old Gotham is known for being the poorest neighborhood in Gotham City, that doesn't mean there still aren't good, honest people there. What happens to them when you kick them out of their homes, or heaven forbid, leave them in there with all of those dangerous prisoners?"

Will shakes his head, "We won't make the same mistakes as we did last time. The Wayne Foundation is already making sure that if the project is revived, that the citizens will be evacuated and compensated."

"But what about the city itself? You seriously expect to plop a prison right in the middle of a metropolitan city and not have severe drops in land value? That's seriously going to affect the economy of the city!"

"The city is already one of the most crime infested in the world. We should focus on getting our criminal population under control before addressing these other problems. A city with a good economy isn't worth jack if it's infested with criminals."

"If you're so concerned with the safety of the citizens, why're you building a prison right in the heart of the city in the first place?!"

I let out a sigh. Five minutes on the clock can feel like forever when you're sitting on the sidelines, but when you're up on that podium, there's never enough time to argue your point.  
We continue for the next hour or so, alternating turns on the podium. I argue against Talia Wayne. She argues that Arkham City would give many job opportunities for the people of Gotham as TYGER guards and maintenance crew. I disagree, saying that these jobs would pay too low for the dangerous kind of work they would be required to do. We're down to the final round, and the score is, of course, tied,

"Hey, who's going up next?" Winifred whispers to the rest of the team.

Angel, a tall, athletically built guy raises his hand.

"You sure Angel?"

He nods quietly and Winifred returns his nod.

The buzzer sounds, and Angel stands. He gives Martin a high five as they pass each other. On the other side, no such friendly gesture is exchanged. A blond haired boy steps up to the Gotham Academy podium and gives Angel a confused look when he meets him at the podium.

"For Gotham Academy, Harrison Cobblepot. For Gotham High, Angel Martinez."

The Cobblepot family is also another very rich, influential family. Not as big as the Waynes, and there's also lots of speculation as to how they came back into power after suffering severe losses for so many years.

"Harrison, if you were in charge of running the Arkham City Project, what sort of precautions would you take?"

Harrison clears his throat, eliciting a strange squawking sound. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out an asthma inhaler. After taking a deep breath, he puts away his inhaler, "First, obviously security needs to be heightened outside the city. There would be increased patrols around the city's border, and an increase in helicopter patrol to monitor activity within the city. Security will be tightened, and the corruption of the first Arkham City will not be repeated."

Angel furrows his brow, not quite sure how to respond to this.

"Angel, do you have any concerns that you wished to have addressed?"

"...yes, I do. My main concern is not with the security of this experimental prison, but of its inner functioning. During the original Arkham City Project, many former residents who could not afford to leave their homes were filed as political prisoners and left to defend themselves against these maximum security prisoners."

"That was a filing mistake and will not be repeated."

"How can a filing mistake misplace several hundred people? There were helicopters patrolling the city, did they not notice those people crying for help?"

"The TYGER guard were instructed to not interfere with activity within the city."

"But they weren't even prisoners! And what about reports of TYGER guard supplying weapons to the prisoners? Is that not interfering?"

Harrison stops. He has no response. We win.

Angel runs off the podium and pulls all of us into a big bear hug. Winifred, not one for hugs, sidesteps Angel before he can encase her,

"Ah, c'mon Winnie, we're going to the finals!"

She rolls her eyes, "That's not an excuse to forgo personal hygiene."

The Gotham Academy students stare down Harrison as he makes a slow durge back to his chair. The referee walks back onstage with the trophy and presents it to Winifred and the rest of the team. We shake hands with the other team, who don't look the slightest bit pleased, before ending the tournament.

I walk up to Martin and Joey, who're taking off their t-shirts and giving them back to Angel, who then sorts them into neat piles.

"That was so stressful." I tell them, throwing off my t-shirt.

Joey rings out his t-shirt, which is soaked from the pits down, "Hey, look at me! I was sweating in this thing. The double layer of clothing, and the bright stage lights are too much!"

"So, are you guys gonna head home?" Martin asks, as we get our stuff and head out of the auditorium.

"I'm gonna stop by Cornerstone before heading home." I tell them. I still need to check to see if Tara and her friends are still there.

"So what were you saying earlier about Batman?" Joey asks.

"So, my theory is that the original Batman was none other than Bruce Wayne."

Joey quickly pulls Martin and I into a huddle, "Dude, you know we just competed against his great grandkids, right?"

Martin nods, "It just makes so much sense though. His parents died at the hands of a thug at a young age, so there's a motive. Also, he was rich beyond belief, so he had money and a lot of free time. And to top it off, he died in his sleep not three months after the original Batman disappeared!"

"I don't know. It seems rather far-fetched. Wasn't Bruce Wayne like, a playboy millionaire for most of his life?" I ask.

Martin nods, "But he donated so much money to the Wayne Foundation which has helped the people of Gotham City immensely. So that shows what side he's on."

I wave goodbye to Martin and Joey as I head over to Cornerstone while they head over to the bus stop. Maybe this trip won't be a complete waste, I could get some Junior Mints for myself.


	3. Joker Venom

It's lightly snowing when I exit the school building. I put on my heavy jacket as I carefully step down the frosted front steps. The sun is setting, and the bright light is only barely visible above the tall apartment buildings surrounding the school. Before I even reach the corner Cornerstone is located on (hence the name) I hear a strange, almost manic laughter. The laughing becomes louder as I draw closer and reaches a peak as I pass by the back alley right next to Cornerstone. I peek into the alleyway. It's a narrow gap between Cornerstone and a wire fence from the next apartment building over. I step into the alley, the gutter water trickling out from a drain pipe makes the ground damp as I walk across it. The sunlight completely disappears behind the apartment building. The laughter echoes through the alleyway, bouncing off the old wood wall of Cornerstone. I see several thin pairs of fair legs behind a heap of garbage cans and brace myself for what I'm about to see. I walk into their sight path and lurch back. As I suspected, it's Tara and several other cheerleaders, but at the same time, it's like they're strangers. Their mouths are stretched as far as they can physically go, and they held in place as they laughed. I scan the area for the culprit, and easily spot the empty syringes lying in a pile by them, some of them smashed. A neon green residue is present on the needles and in the syringes. Doesn't look like any kind of injection type drug I've seen before.

"Hey, Kathy!"

It's Brad, Cornerstone's part time clerk. He's a student at Gotham High, a freshman, and he works after school at his parent's store. Despite his name, he isn't exactly athletic or good looking. He's very thin, and not that tall, just peeking over my height with his dorky haircut.

"Hey, Brad, what's going on with Tara and the cheerleaders?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. I heard laughing from the store and thought it was just some bums but I recognized Tara's voice. Is this, some new kind of drug?"

I nod, "Seems to look that way."

Tara, her eyes like little glass marbles, snaps her head and stares right at me,

"Hey, ha ha, ha ha ha ha...you finally ha ha...came...bfff! Ha ha ha!...You've got to try this, it's...*hiccup* Ha ha, ha ha ha ha! It's, it's great..."

She sways her head around in different directions with her slurred speech. I can see in the corner of my eye Brad hiding behind me.

"What is this stuff?" I ask sternly. I knew she was into the occasional cigarette or joint, but nothing like this.

She laughs, her head swinging up in the air. I take a step backwards, trying to remain calm. I keep my breath under control as I feel Brad tightly clenching my sleeve.

"It's, heh ha, JV...pfff! You haven't...ha ha ha! Heard of it?"

"JV? That stands for something, what is it?"

She chuckles, and then laughs again. The other cheerleaders laugh too along with her.

"I'm, just, gonna go..." Brad says, backing up.

I nod, "Yeah, me too..."

We walk out of the alleyway and I lean against the wall of Cornerstone and pull out my phone,

"Wait, you're going to call the police?"

I look at Brad, confused, "Of course I'm going to call the police. Why would we not?"

Brad shoves his hands into his pockets,

"Well, but, I mean, they're your friends right? Most people wouldn't snitch on their friends like that."

Why does he care?

"Well...I mean...it's for their own good. And someone's going to find them eventually."

I finish dialing the last number and am about to press the final button, Brad grabs my hand,

"Look...please don't call the police."

I tightly grip my phone, and I see the desperate look on his face.

"Why?" I ask, my voice softening, but still ready to strike.

"Because...my parents gave them the drugs."

He lets go of my hand, and my eyes harden, "And you knew this?"

"I thought it was just heroin or something. I didn't know it would do this. Please, we need the money..."

I pause. Obviously this is wrong, this is very, very wrong. What other kinds of effects will this drug have on them as they continue to use it? Does it have a high addiction rate? What is it anyway?

Brad refuses to let go of my hand. He obviously wants me to promise him that I'd never call the police.

"Do you know who your parents are getting these drugs from?" I ask.

He nods, "Yeah. Two burly men in clown masks visit our store every night, why?"

His grip loosens momentarily, and I rip my arm away and start walking away from the store.

"Wait, you're not going to tell the police, right?" he calls.

" _I_ won't." I mumble, but I hardly doubt he can hear me.

A quick internet search leads me to the Gotham Chronicle's website. Apparently there's been a drug called Joker Venom being circulated through various high schools around Gotham City. The article was only written a few days ago, and there isn't a lot of information. The report does say that police investigation into this is at a minimum due to "more concerning crime issues". So that means it's unlikely that Brad and his family will get caught. Also, my search leads me to the online edition of the Gotham High Oracle. There, a more in-depth article on Joker Venom is in the editor's column, written by none other than the student editor Martin 'O Connor. He states that he wishes to give more information on the subject but the school wouldn't let him. I give Martin a call, knowing he'll be home by now.

"Y'ello?" the soft, scratchy voice answers.

"Hey Martin, it's me, Kat. Do you not have caller ID or something?"

"No, I'm just a bit occupied is all. I'm encrypting the school website's code so we don't get hacked again."

"You guys got hacked?"

"Yeah, just happened yesterday. The guy didn't steal any information that I'm aware of, actually, he didn't do much at all. He just changed the cover picture. It's still up, I haven't updated it yet if you wanna look at it."

Really? I open up the school website. There it is, the cover photo that was once a picture of the school and three smiley graduating students is now a black picture with green question marks. In the middle, in bright green font, are the words, "I'm coming for you Batman."

I swallow. Is this guy talking about me?

"That's cool...but that's not why I called. You wrote an article in your column about Joker Venom last week?"

"Yeah. I heard that people at our school are using it so I did a bit of research and published what I could on my column."

I look over his article. It's far more in-depth than anything else I've found, and he doesn't cite any of his sources. Where did he get this information from?

"You mention in your article that you weren't allowed to release all of the information you found. Could you tell me what that is?"

"Sure. But may I ask why?"

I can trust Martin, right? I've known him since the second grade. But as of late, it seems like I can't trust anyone anymore.

"Well..."

I bring him up to date on how Tara and the cheerleaders are on JV, but I skip over the fact that it's being supplied by Brad and how I plan on further investigating tonight as Batman.

"Wow...huh. Then again, I shouldn't really be surprised, knowing the cheerleaders. Where did you say you found them?"

"In the alleyway by Cornerstone."

"Well, what I know about JV that the school paper wouldn't let me release is that JV is a drug that contains a high amount of dopamine releasing chemicals, more so than most other Class A drugs, making it the most addictive substance known to man. Also, the drug uses chemicals that not only induce a euphoric state, but also triggers the laugh reflex, making the user laugh uncontrollably. The long term effects haven't been studied properly, but according to police reports, users of JV have been known to have bouts of insanity as a major side effect."

Bouts of insanity? But, what if Tara and her friends are already having episodes of insanity? Does it go away if they don't use JV, or is it permanent?

And how does Martin know all of this anyway? The Gotham Chronicle article said that the police are still investigating and hasn't released any information. How did Martin get his hands on this information?

"Thanks Martin. That actually helps a lot. I gotta go now, I'll see you at school tomorrow."

The lights are dim as he makes his way to the usual stakeout spot. Binoculars in hand, I watch the sleek figure scale the drain pipe up to the rooftop of the decimated apartment. He watches from the shadows, unaware of my presence this time. I got here first, I've been staking out this place since school ended. I've been hiding in this narrow alleyway, a common feature in Gotham City. Finishing my homework by a group of garbage cans, I waited for the caped crusader to appear. Actually, this crusader doesn't have a cape, but every other detail is exact. I've found Batman.

It's….freezing. My suit is hardly enough to keep me warm in this frigid weather. The tiny flecks of snow melt onto the relatively thin fabric of my cheap costume. I found it in the closet of my new room when I moved in with Aunt Jennie. According to her, it was a Batwoman costume she wore during a parade a long time ago. It must have been a _long_ time ago, because I've never heard of a Batwoman, and Gotham City's never had a parade for as long as I've lived. The cowl and gloves were a dark purple, so I re-painted them black, and I had to get rid of the cape all-together. I'm glance at my watch, it's a little past midnight, maybe I'll just call it quits for today. But just then, I see a truck pull up to the front of Cornerstone. Two burlesque men in clown masks exited the car. My heart jumps, they're clearly physically stronger than me. I don't know what I was expecting, I guess, well, maybe I don't have to go investigate tonight. No, what am I saying? This is my opportunity, if I leave now, all of my waiting tonight will have been for not. I climb down from the roof, my heart still pounding in my chest. The two men in clown masks are unloading generic looking cardboard boxes out of the truck and bring them into Cornerstone, ringing the bell every time they open the door. The boxes are closed, but I can hear a faint clattering as the boxes are picked up and moved. It had to be the sound of some kind of glass jingling around in there. Now I wish that I had staked out a building next to Cornerstone instead of across from it, there's no way I could get across without one of them seeing me. I watch them unload the final box, and head inside, leaving the door open. Why would they leave the door open? It's freezing out here, and the snow will fly in. Well, at least it leaves me an opening.

I watch as Batman darts into Cornerstone. Is he going to take those two thugs out? I need to see this. I peek out from my hiding place and duck under the windowsill next to the Cornerstone front entrance. With my unusual height, I was practically lying down on the concrete and snow, arching my head up to peek through the window. I couldn't see Batman at all, but I guess that's the point, right? The only source of light in the store is coming from the side door which the thugs had stepped into. Suddenly, I see a sudden movement coming from the stack of boxes the thugs had brought in. I then notice the dark figure hunched over the box. Batman had opened a box and had taken a sample. I duck my head down again as I see the two thugs in signature Joker masks walk out of the side door. I hear footsteps…my heart is pounding. I crawl away from the window back to the alley. Suddenly, I hear a shout coming from one of the thugs, they must have noticed the missing sample and open box. I yank out my iPhone to call the police, but, what if they arrest Batman? What if they arrest me? I stare at the blank screen of my iPhone, but, is this my only option?

I'm under the table. I'm curled up in a ball, under the table. My stomach has dropped ten thousand feet, and I'm biting my lip so my teeth don't chatter in this unbearable cold. The two thugs know I'm here, and there're going to find me. God, this is such an awful hiding place, they're going to find me for sure. I need to act now if I'm going to get out of here alive. I'll wait for one of the thugs to pass by, and I'll pounce him. Yeah, that's what I'll do. No need to worry, I now, have a, sort of a plan. One of the thugs walks by, and I instinctively grab his leg and yank it towards the table. The thug trips, crashing into a nearby shelf and collapsing it along with himself. The other thug turns around as I frantically crawl out from under the table, grab a can from the toppled shelf, and clobber the fallen thug. The other thug runs to one of the boxes, tearing another one of them open and pulling out a syringe of neon-green liquid. At first I thought it was Joker V, but something was different about it. It was a lighter green, and it glowed brighter than the variety I had seen earlier this afternoon. The thug plunged the needle into his arm, apparently unconcerned if he had punctured a vein or not. The green liquid quickly left the syringe and coursed through his veins, disgustingly visible as it traveled along his bloodstream. As it passed, his blood turned the same sickly green, and his muscles began to expand and contract. I watched, as the liquid reached his eyes, and his pupils and whites were filled with the green liquid. I double over, clutching my stomach, clenching my teeth as hard as I can. The thug, now swollen to double his size in height and muscle mass, is now charging towards me at breakneck speeds. I scramble out from under the table just to see him pound it to pieces with his fists. I make a break for the door, elbowing it open and sending the little bell flying out into the street with me.


	4. The Morning After

As I run through the deserted streets and alleyways, I quickly pat my pocket to check if I still have the sample. Yep, still there. After several blocks, I scamper to a stop and throw my back against an alleyway wall to catch my breath, certain that they haven't followed me. What the hell was that? Some different form of JV? The effects and the color were certainly different. I check my watch. One A.M.?! Auntie Jennie will be home soon!

I'm forced to take the bus in my costume, since I left my backpack on the roof of the building across the street from Cornerstone. As I swipe my bus pass and take a seat towards the back of the completely empty bus, I see someone try to enter the bus, but the driver quickly closes the door and speeds off, lurching me out of my seat.

"Who was that?!" I ask the driver, regaining my posture and returning myself to my seat.

"Some weirdo in a Joker mask. Since there have always been incidents of people in Joker masks committing crimes, the city made it law to refuse them service. He your friend or something?" he asks.

I shake my head, "No."

At the sound of my voice, I see the driver do a double take before speaking again , "Oh, well, um, what are you doing out here so late young lady?"

He must have not realized I'm a girl. While my body is somewhat masculine, my voice is very feminine, which is why I try to avoid conversation in the suit,

"I'm…heading home…from a costume party."

"In the middle of February? It must have been freezing out there."

"Yeah. It was."

I bit my lip, was the guy in the clown mask one of the thugs? Had one of them been following me after all? And if so, is he still following me now? No, that can't be, he'd had to have followed me on foot, if he had been in a car, he'd of caught up to me a long time ago. I don't know, maybe its just a coincidence, maybe he was the one really coming from a costume party and I'm just being paranoid. I slouch back into the bus seat, and close my eyes for a brief moment of rest.

I arrive back at my aunt's house to see that the car is already in the driveway. Shoot, can't use the front door. I sneak around back to the backyard. There, I climb up the drainpipe to my window. The drain is slippery from the ice and snow, and my hands chill upon touching it. After two attempts which end in me falling onto the (thankfully) soft weed-ridden grasses in the backyard, I'm able to swing myself through the window in my room which I keep purposefully open. The room is dark, and the cold wind whips through the open window. I shut the window and change. I hide the sample under my dresser, pack the soaked costume into a plastic bag to be washed tomorrow and jump into bed to fall asleep.

"I don't care, why should she have to stay here?" I can hear Auntie Jennie's voice in the hall.

Is she talking to my parents? I get out of bed, and tiptoe to the top of the stairway leading to my room. I clutch onto the railing and lean in to listen,

"It's been half a year already! How long does it take to come to an agreement?!" she shouts in a hushed tone into a handset.

I sigh, nothing's changed, again. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother anymore, I might as well just stay here until I go away to college. And I'll be going far, far away…

"She's still a child who needs attention, and I can't give that kind of attention when I'm working all day…well at least you or Alyson could come visit her more often…no she _hasn't_ come to visit her…"

I bite my lip, tears beginning to brim at the tip of my eyelids. I get up from the railing and go back into my room. I slam myself back onto the bed and smother myself into my pillow. I shouldn't have listened in on that conversation in the first place, the news is always the same. And of course if I ask Auntie Jennie she'll just say they're "making progress" and I just need to be patient. Patient, I've _been_ patient, but when will I get the payoff?

I arrive at school exhausted and sleep deprived. The cup of coffee I made along with my breakfast is helping somewhat, but by lunchtime, I've crashed. Thank goodness I don't have cheerleading practice until after school, and I'd have enough time to go to Cornerstone for a quick cup of coffee. My head throbs and I'm walking with a slight limp that could be from, well, anyone of the various poundings I took last night as I walk up to the library to eat my lunch. I see that the school dance committee has started to put up posters and banners advertising the Valentine's Day dance next week. I shrug it off, at Gotham High, you didn't go to the dance unless you have a date and/or partner, and I've been single my whole life. I know that Frank and Tara will be going together, and Sydney and the rest of the cheerleading squad will be getting dates. Now that I think about it, I'm probably the only one on the cheerleading team that's never been on a date. Guess it's never been high on my priorities. But who knows? Maybe junior or senior year I'll meet someone. When I enter the library, the first person that catches my eye is Martin, wearing his thin square framed glasses, staring intently at a computer screen. I walk over to him, and sit down with the salad and bagel I got from the cafeteria,

"What's up?" he asks, turning away from his computer briefly.

"No lunch practice today." I tell him, opening up the plastic casing of my salad.

Martin rolls his eyes, "No offense, but how can you associate yourself with them? I mean, the cheerleaders are all sluts. Except for you of course! I mean, like, the rest of them."

I shrug, "They're not sluts, they're just…outgoing. They like being around other people, and I guess guys find that attractive."

"I can think of a few more things in them they find attractive." Martin scoffs.

"You're just jealous because you can't get a date with one of them." Joey jokes, walking in with a bag of apple slices.

Martin shrugs, returning his attention back to his computer, "I think I have a little more dignity than that. Besides, it's not like you could either."

Joey looks over at Martin's computer screen and takes out his own thick, rounder, Harry Potter styled glasses, "Whatcha doing?"

"Sifting through school security footage."

Joey raises an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Since I'm now head of student IT, I have access to the school security footage. And since we've been having a weird graffiti problem, I'm looking through the night and weekend footage to try to catch the guy."

I put down my salad, "Since when were you head IT?"

"Last month. The old head transferred to Gotham Academy and I was next in line."

"Well congrats Martin." I tell him, patting him on the shoulder.

"Hey, someone's showing up on the camera!" Joey hastily points, nearly knocking over the screen.

I save the screen from falling just in time for us to see on the black and white vision of the camera in the bottom left corner, a figure could be seen entering the building, the doors simply parting for him. He wore a spiffy button down dress shirt and vest, slacks, and Converse, with a black mask and bowler hat obscuring his face.

"Who's that?" Joey asks.

Martin adjusts his glasses and leans closer to the computer screen, "That has to be…I mean…its hard to tell without color, but…the bowler hat…"

"You have an idea who this might be?" I ask, noticing the figure's slightly shorter stature.

"Not the person, but the persona he's using. The Riddler."

"You mean like that Batman villain on the TV show?" Joey asks, sounding somewhat unconvinced.

Martin nods, "Yep, because he's wearing the Riddler's signature bowler hat, the graffiti he leaves behind are all green question marks, and the same green question marks appeared as the changed cover photo when the school's site was hacked. His hacking skills explain how he gets into the school undetected."

"All of the doors are electronic now?" I ask, looking over to the library entrance and seeing the small white wire snaking around and through the door.

"Mhm. The school finished installing the last of the controls over winter break, so its fully functional now. But the system, while efficient, is super cheap, and there're all kinds of loopholes and whatnot in the system. No wonder the Riddler was able to get in. Even I could tighten up security a bit just from what I've learned from being an IT."

"So…you've tightened the system, right? He can't get in now?" Joey asks with a tone of worry.

Martin shakes his head, "No, even I can't fully upgrade the system without way more time. I just linked my phone to the system so that when he does hack in, I'll get an alert."

Martin shuts down his computer as the warning bell rings, "What class do you guys have now?"

"Pre-Calculus. My teacher says that if I play my cards right, I'll be able to take an accelerated college course senior year." Joey tells us triumphantly, strolling confidently and holding his head high.

"Smartass." I tease coyly, nudging him in the shoulder.

"Hey, I'm not the one in Forensic Sciences. Who's the smartass now?" Joey teases back, sticking out his tongue.

Martin shakes his head and plants his face in his left palm, "Oh you guys."


	5. The Joker

The final class of the day got out without any disturbances. I head over to the gym for cheerleading, where Tara, Sydney, and the other cheerleaders are all already fully changed. The only thing wrong with the picture is, the gymnasium bleachers have been pulled out, and several guys are sitting on the very front row, cheering and catcalling the girls. Frank is sitting smack in the middle of the guys, paling around with the two guys sitting adjacent to him. I approach Tara, who's leading stretches with the other girls,

"Hey, what're these guys doing here? It's suppose to be closed practice."

Tara gets up from her toe-touch, pulling down her skirt, "Oh, these are just some friends of the girls and I. You don't know them."

I look over at the guys on the bleachers and I notice in the very corner is Martin, turning away from the others, slouching towards his laptop, and refusing to make eye contact with either of boys or the girls. Tara follows my eyes over to him,

"Oh yeah, we invited that guy too. For you, because, you like that guy right? Or is it the short one? I don't know, he seemed like the cuter one, but that's not really saying much, is it?"

I shrug, "Doesn't really matter, I'm gonna go change now."

The minute I close the gymnasium door, my phone buzzes with a text from Martin.

"HELP ME!" it reads.

"How'd they convince you to go along with them?"

"They said I could take pictures. I figured they meant pictures for the school newspaper, then I thought about it…"

"Okay, okay, but you don't have to stay."

"Yeah, I know."

I stretch out my thumbs for a break as a change, but as soon I'm in my cheerleading outfit, I pick up my phone again,

"You know if you want to look at the girls, you can just say so."

"But that's so weird . And I'm not even looking. I'm…recording you guys."

"Go ahead. I honestly don't care."

"Look, its for the website, okay? Nothing more."

I chuckle as I put my phone in my locker and head back up to the gymnasium. I join the squad in my usual place. I feel just a little uneasy, knowing that Martin is recording us through his laptop, and the other guys are blatantly staring at us. I keep calm though, if I can do this in front of the entire school, how should this be any different?

For once practice ends at the correct time and the girls all pair off with a guy and leave, most of them not even bothering to change. Tara scampers over to Frank and kisses him on the check,

"Did you enjoy watching our practice Pudding?"

Frank nods, grabbing her by the waist, "Of course dear. You were great."

I smile and head over to the locker room. Tara notices me and yells out from Frank's arms, "Hey, where's that guy I invited?"

I look around, and see that Martin is no where to be found. He must have left with the others.

"Talk about rude." she comments.

"He's just shy." I tell her.

I'm about to grab the door when Tara calls out to me again, "Oh hey, could you get my stuff from my gym locker and drop it off at Cornerstone?"

"Sure." I tell her.

As I finish up changing I head over to her locker with a small art chisel, a screwdriver, and two booby pins. I turn her lock around to find the master key lock in the back. I learned how to pick locks from the Girl Detective magazines I read as a kid, and of course, the internet. I jimmy the lock until it comes loose and I collect her phone. In the darkness of the locker room, I also notice a slight green glow coming from her backpack. Zipping open the backpack reveals two syringes of normal Joker Venom and a note wrapped around them. I carefully remove the note, and it reads,

"For you, my sweet -Joker".

The Joker? As in _the_ Joker? Everyone knows who the Joker is, the crazed maniac who terrorized the city during the original Batman's reign. Sure, there's been tons of copycats that you hear about on the news, but there's nothing like watching a documentary with the black and white footage of the original news broadcasts during that time. There's something fascinatingly scary about the original one that the others can't seem to replicate, like a horror movie icon. I don't know, maybe it was the crappy quality of the cameras he was filmed on that made him grittier and more monstrous.

I put the note back with the syringes and close the locker. So, along with the distribution of a drug called Joker Venom, there is someone, presumably the head of operations, who calls himself the Joker. God, its already scary enough fighting thugs, fighting an actual Joker would be terrifying.

I exit the building and head up the block to Cornerstone. The snow that's been building up over the past couple of days dragged down my feet in my winter boots and the heavy wind whipped against me. When I finally reach Cornerstone, Brad is right outside the store in his ridiculously bulky winter jacket, sifting through the snow around the shop.

"What are you doing Brad?!" I ask, yelling through the winter wind.

At the sound of my voice, Brad jumps, falling face first into the snow, his head plunging into the deeper snow out in the street. I pull him back up and help him into the store, his meek frame feeling lighter than air,

"I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

His head had hit the concrete street, and there's a decent sized cut on his forehead.

"Where do you keep your medical supplies?" I ask.

He holds his head with one hand and points to behind the counter. I look and there's an emergency medical kit there. I bring it over and clean up his wound, "Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"Ugh…I don't think so. But…thanks." he tells me, still lying on the ground of Cornerstone.

"What were you looking for anyway?" I ask, putting the medical kit back behind the counter.

He slowly pushes himself up, "The bell on the front door's missing, I figured it must have blown off due to the winds, and I was looking for it."

I nod, but at the same time I clench my fists. I remember knocking off that bell last night when I was here. I feel my heart pang in guilt, I caused this. Should I confront him about the Joker Venom? Is he selling it? Or is it his parents? It had to be his parents, unless he does it for them.

"Hey, where are your parents?"

He shrugs, "Probably out shopping. This is the only time they have off, so they usually take this time to get supplies, food, whatever we need."

"Okay. Hey, Tara wanted me to drop off her phone here." I tell him, placing her phone on the counter.

He jumps up, nearly bumping his head on one of the shelves, "Tara is, entrusting me with her cellular device?"

I arch my eyebrow, "Yeah, she went to hang out with Frank. I guess she'll come to pick it up later."

He gingerly picks up the phone and turns it on, "How long do you think it'll be until she picks it up?"

I shrug, "She didn't say."

"So I better start now."

He swipes at the phone until a loud alarm sound came from it. He waits for the alarm to settle before tapping at it again.

"Are you trying to…guess her combination?"

He nods, his eyes not straying from her phone, "Yeah, it'll be a test of my intelligence."

"Or your guessing ability."

"…that too."

I chuckle, "Alright, well, I gotta go. Don't do anything too crazy, okay?"

He nods again, still not looking up from the phone.

I close the door, the wind returning to whip my face. I turn to walk home when I remember, I left my clothes from last night on the roof across the street. I turn to the building where I had been staking out Cornerstone last night. There's nobody around, maybe I could quickly go up and get it, if its still there. I cross the street, checking the frosty streets for cars, although I haven't seen a car pass by all day. With the snow and wind creating a dense fog-like atmosphere, I barely know it's the correct building when I arrive at it. The drainpipe is now covered with a frosty layer of ice, and upon touching it, my bare hand gets stuck onto the frost. I try to grip the pipe with my gloves, but the gloves give me half of my usual grip. With my gloves on, I slowly inch up the drainpipe. As I climb higher up, the tough winds threaten to throw me into the adjacent building. I clench my teeth and continue up, using my feet to buckle into the small space separating the building and the pipe. My hands hit the top of the building and I scoop myself up to the top. I slump onto the concrete roof, my heart racing. In the blurry billowing winds, I can just barely make out the outlines of my backpack. I push myself up, feeling a slight ache in my legs from supporting my body while climbing the drainpipe. I slowly creep over to the backpack, which is in a somewhat different position then what I remember. Somehow the backpack is mostly free of snow, and its actually fairly warm upon touch compared. I pick it up and check my watch. Its getting late, if I want to investigate Cornerstone tonight, I need to get going. I open the backpack to check if everything's still there. When I open it, I see everything's there, plus a folded sheet of paper. I grasp the piece of paper in my frostbitten hand. Common sense tells me to just read it at home, but my curiosity is killing me. I shuffle my hands to unfold it:

Awfully cold weather we've been having, no? And don't think I don't see you coming, so I thought to give your clothes a wash. See you tonight?

-Joker

I swallow nervously, so the Joker is real. I feel my heart face as I look down and see that the clothes in my backpack have been dyed a combination of white, green, and purple. I shove the note in the backpack and swing it over my shoulder, and take a deep breath. Now, I have to worry about the thugs, the Joker _and_ I have to climb down this drainpipe.

I'm typing away at my keyboard in the freezing snow with one hand and tossing my can of tomatoes in the other. I've wrapped my winter coat around my laptop to protect it from the snow. As soon as I hear a beeping sound coming from my can of tomatoes I'm up, closing my laptop into my satchel and coming up from my hiding place in the Cornerstone alleyway. When I open the door to Cornerstone, I don't hear the familiar tinkling of the bell.

"Hey Brad." I greet, hands in my jacket pockets.

Brad looks up from the counter, "Oh, hey Martin. What can I get you?"

"Some Watermelon Hubba Bubba and some Junior Mints please." I tell him.

"Sure." he replies, going over to the candy rack behind the counter.

I place the can of tomatoes with the others, making sure it faces the front. Brad looks back up, and sees me playing with the tomato cans.

"Didn't you just buy one of those a couple of days ago?" he asks.

I nod, "Uh, yeah, for chem class."

He nods in return, "Well, your stuff's ready."

I pay him and leave quickly, avoiding eye contact with his smiley face. He's a good kid, and even though he's just a year under me, his face looks of someone even younger. Hopefully he'll be asleep when those thugs come around, he doesn't deserve to be mixed up with this.

The streets are empty when the truck pulls up to Cornerstone. Today I've decided to stake out directly above Cornerstone on their roof. Since I didn't want to scale another icy drainpipe, I hopped onto the fire escape, and climbed onto the roof from there. Now I'm sitting on the roof, dangling my feet down, as they come with their usual boxes. I take a deep breath, today is the day I get these guys, I tell myself. I slowly creep down the fire escape to the open window near it. Trying to not let the rusty metal fire escape creak so much, I swing myself into the well lit room. When I drop in, I see that it's a simple bedroom with a bed and a standup mirror. The olden paint is peeling right off of the walls, not uncommon for most of the apartments in Gotham City. As I walk into the hallway, I begin to smell the rusty scent of old blood, but I see no blood until I look down and see the almost indistinguishable spots on the floor leading to a closed door at the end of the small, narrow corridor. I follow the blood and grasp the handle and twist, but the door is locked. I take up my lock picking ensemble and easily jimmy the old door open. The door slides opens with a *click*. I push it open gently, but then freeze in place, accidentally allowing it to slam against a dresser. I swipe around to see if anyone heard, but nobody came pounding up the tiny staircase leading to the store. I clench my fists, and bite my tongue, preparing to confirm what I just saw. I turn around slowly, trying to mentally prepare myself for what I'm about to confirm. Right in front of my feet, a pool of blood begins, trailing up to the double bed, where the source appears to be a lump covered with a couple of thin sheets which have all been soaked in blood. There's blood scattered around the walls too, most in the form of smears and splatters. The smell is overwhelming, coming in sharply and stinging my nose. I fumble for my phone and quickly snap a picture, securing the evidence without disturbing it. I feel myself coming close to gagging, and not needing to see anymore, I close the door. From downstairs, I hear a crashing sound, and suddenly there's shouting from two low voices. My first instinct is to go downstairs and investigate, but I hang back, slowly creeping down the hallway, as to not be noticed.

One of the thugs has dropped a box of Joker Venom and ruined the entire shipment. The other thug is yelling at him fiercely, but the first thug is convinced it wasn't his fault. From my hiding place, I can clearly see the small bell he'd tripped on rolling into the snow. Where's Batman? Shouldn't he be here by now, stopping these guys? I mean, they've already unloaded half of the truck, by the time Batman gets here, they'll be finished. But maybe that means I'll get to see a chase scene with Batman and the thugs. Does this Batman have a Batmobile? Or a Batwing? Maybe at least a Batbike? A Batchopper? Suddenly, I hear a crash, and the breaking of glass. Yes, Batman's here! I take out my laptop and bring up the live footage of the camera in the tomato can. The camera shows the store, and the smashed syringes that caused the noise, but the culprit is no where to be found. The two thugs come around to check. Although their facial features are obscured by clown masks, these are clearly not the same two thugs from last night. Otherwise they'd immediately know what was going on. This organization is bigger than I originally thought. Or maybe these are the same guys, and they're just incredibly stupid. On the camera, I see a shadow move suddenly, followed by one of the thugs tripping and falling on his face. Then, Batman jumps out from behind a shelf and tackles the other thug head-on. He pins the thug to the ground and punches him out. The first thug has gotten up from his fall, but Batman is already up and ready to face him. The thug takes out a small pocketknife and begins to swing it at Batman. Batman jumps back, avoiding the thug's swipes. Batman looks to his side and sees me, or rather, my can of tomatoes. I take a deep breath, and bite my lip, anticipating what's about to come next, and cursing myself for putting the can in such a vulnerable place. Batman grabs my hidden camera and throws it at the thug. I watch from the can's perspective as it sails through the air and hits the thug in the jaw. I cringe as the HD camera shows me in disgusting detail the thug's blood sail off with the camera as it lands on the ground and rolls to the middle of the aisle, facing the shop's back door, which appears to have a bright light behind it. That must have been how Batman got in the shop without being noticed. And why doesn't this Batman have any kind of gadgets? I mean, you could get a simple grappling hook at a toy store, you know…before they outlawed those things. Yeah, maybe it makes sense that this Batman doesn't have any cool weapons.

That can I threw at this guy only seems to have fazed him. I leap in for the finishing blow, but suddenly, I feel a heavy force on my back, pressing me to the cold tile floor.

"Well, look who finally decided to show up." a distinct, maniacally whimsical voice whispers.

I'm suddenly aware that the force upon my back is a foot, and the cold, sharpened point of a knife. This person's uncomfortably warm breath is heaving onto me as he whispers in my ear,

"Very unoriginal, coming in through the bedroom. I was hoping for something a bit more, theatrical."

He presses down on me harder with his foot. I reach behind and grab his ankle, throwing him off of me. I throw myself up, ready for a fight. But I jump back in horror when I see in full view, the person who'd been stomping on me seconds ago. He has the unearthly white skin, and the trademark smile that stretched ear to ear. Everything about him seems so exaggerated but it somehow all makes sense in a sick, twisted way. I've seen people dress up as him my whole life, but never has it seemed so, real. And yet, here we are.

"Like what you see?" he asks calmly, coupled with a presenting hand gesture.

I try to collect myself, just focus, don't let some thug intimidate you like this. He strides over to me confidently, grinning,

"You're a little smaller than what I envisioned. Makes it more embarrassing that my last two let you get away."

It's fine I tell myself, you destroyed the steroid version of Joker Venom, this jerk or his thugs can't enhance themselves. You can take them, just relax…

"Hmm…not much of a talker are you, Batboy?" he asks, sticking the knife into the wall next to my left cheek, and getting right up in my face.

"Hmm, I was expecting a cape as well, and maybe a few of those fancy toys. Oh well, can't win 'em all."

I whip around and punch him in the face, sending him stumbling back and dropping his knife. He regains his balance, and blood begins to drip from out of his mouth. He looks up, and as the blood drools onto his cheek, his grotesque smile is still intact. I stomp over and slam him onto the ground, my fear of him now disappeared. His two thugs run over to stop me. I pick up his knife and brandish it. The first thug grabs the knife in my hand, leaning in and pushing his weight into it, trying to get it out. With his lowered stance, I knee him in the head, and extend out to kick him in the stomach. The other thug comes around with a syringe as a weapon. I quickly slash at the syringe with the knife and the liquid comes oozing out and splashes onto the floor. The first thug, still on his knees, grabs my leg and trips me to the ground. The other thug comes at me with the broken syringe, slashing me in the arm as I kick free of the hold of the one on the ground.

There's a loud smashing of glass, and a loud *thunk*. I look up, and see that someone threw a brick through the window and it hit the second thug on the head. I swing myself up and stomp on the first thug, leaving the last one. He's gone. Shoot. I scan the dark store for him, but then I hear that maniacal laugh coming from upstairs and I know exactly where I need to go. I bolt up the stairs and see a shadow silhouette flash against the hallway lights leading towards the bedroom. As I chase the shadow, I pull out my cell phone and quickly dial 911. I follow him up the fire escape as I tell the operator the address and report the thugs and the murder in the lowest voice I can muster. I put my phone away just as I reach the roof to confront him. He's standing on the other side of the roof, the cold wind blowing his trench coat and sharp green hair.

"Took you long enough." he smirks, hands in his pockets.

What does he want? He could be out for money, fame, or infamy in his case. My heavy breathing could be seen in steamed puffs as I lunge for him. He quickly sidesteps me and I pull myself to a grinding halt, narrowly avoiding the other end of the roof. He throws a pair of false teeth connected to a chain at me which chomps down hard on my right arm. I yell out in pain, and grab at it with my other arm, trying desperately to pry it off. He yanks the chain and pulls me towards him,

"Oh c'mon Bats, I just wanna chat. Why not say something? Anything?"

I notice a small lump in the distance. Its my backpack of stuff I left up here! I scramble for it, but he pulls me back,

"Where do you think you're going? Don't you know, its me, your Clown Prince of Crime, Joker!" he shouts, posing accordingly.

I take a deep breath, and grab at the pair of teeth again, but then I get an idea. Instead of pulling at the teeth, I pull the chain, yanking the Joker towards me. As he stumbles toward me, I fling the chain up, sending him above me and slamming onto the rooftop concrete. With him fazed, I scutter to my backpack, zipping it open. I take out of it some of my extra lock-picking tools and with the ones I already have, begin prying my arm free of the fake teeth. I'm finally able to wrench off the pair of chompers when he comes lunging towards me, pushing me to the edge of the roof. He pins me down and forces me to stare up at his repulsive smile,

"You know, all of you Bats are all the same. So focused on delivering justice! But, I think there's something different about you, I like you. I think I'm going to enjoy this."

He reaches into his purple jacket and flips out a small switchblade and dangles it in front of my face, hovering over my mask and cowl. I kick him and push him over, grabbing the teeth and chain. Using the teeth, I have it bite down on his leg before wrapping the chain around an air ventilation.

"Aw, c'mon Bats. You're no fun." he pleads, completely ignoring the fact that a large pair of teeth are gorging into his boney upper thigh.

I begin to hear the sirens and see the lights of police cars through the snowy haze. I collect my stuff and am ready to leave when I look back at Joker. His face paint and dyed hair have been mostly weathered away by the snow and wind. His hair is brown and his skin, while not white, is still rather pale…

"Brad?" I whisper to myself, before hearing the police running up the fire escape. I quickly dash off, boldly leaping over to the next rooftop.

"Stop!" I can hear one of the officers shout in my direction, but I just keep on running.


	6. A New Foe

I watch as the police pull up to Cornerstone. If I didn't call the police, then who did? I watch from my hiding spot as the officers jump through the broken window of Cornerstone. I look down at the small shards of glass I had to pull off of my jacket and pants after I threw that brick to save Batman. Hopefully he got away. I look up for any signs of the Batwing, but no luck. Nobody's seen the Batwing in years, maybe Batman's discovered a less conspicuous form of fast transportation. And was that, the Joker I saw when I threw the brick? My camera malfunctioned just as it hit the ground, so I resorted to looking through the shop window. In the dark of the store, I couldn't make out all of the details, but a fourth person had definitely entered in from that back door. He was thin, and kind of short, also he slouched awkwardly. His outfit was mostly obscured by a trench coat, but that ridiculously gelled up hair was unmistakable. Witnessing a real Batman Vs. Joker fight? What a time to be alive. As I looked up, I caught two figures moving up on the roof. I got my binoculars out of my satchel and looked into them, pointing them towards the two. Thank goodness I got the night vision binoculars, or I wouldn't have been able to see anything. I watched as Batman attacked Joker, but he dodged and snared him with a pair of his Chattering Teeth attached to a chain. So Joker gets tools but Batman doesn't? That's not fair! I then watched as Batman used the chain to his advantage and flung Joker up and over. Yes! I punched the air in excitement, almost dropping my binoculars. Then Batman crawled over and got himself free of the chain, but Joker was right behind him,

"Look out!" I accidentally yelled out, cupping my mouth right after.

Of course Batman didn't hear me, and Joker got the slip on him, jumped on top of him, landing on top of him in a rather suggestive position. I put down my binoculars and blinked several times, I've seen enough fanfiction to know where this is going. I dared to look back up with my binoculars just in time to see Batman kick the Joker…umm… _there_ , before he shoved him away. I let out a major sigh of relief, thank god. Batman tied the Joker up just before the police cars began arriving. The officers climb the fire escape on the roof but Batman is already getting away and the police's chase is futile. And now they're bringing Joker out, and in the bright lights of the car lights, I could clearly make out that he's the Joker alright, or at least, a guy in the Joker getup. Even though a lot of his makeup and hair dye have been eroded away, I'm too far away to make out an discernable facial features. I can just tell his green hair, is actually a dark brown. Could that be…Brad? He has the same hair color, and he lives above the store. No, no way, the innocent little freshman? Not a chance, maybe that's his dad or a relative maybe. A news van screeches up to the scene and a reporter runs up to Joker. I take out my cell and headphones to look up the channel so I can hear her,

"Mr. Joker, could you tell us, was the figure that the police failed to apprehend Batman?"

The Joker grin, "HAHA HA HA HAHAH HAHAHA HA! Oh that was Batsy all right, ain't she a peach?"

She?

On the way to school, I see police cars and news report vans parked in front of Cornerstone. I was way too tired to stay up and watch the news reports, but I'm sure I'll get to it eventually. As soon as I walk into school, Joker jumps in front of me. I punch him in the face, and he hits the ground. I swear under my breath as I suddenly realize that its just Martin in a Joker mask.

"Martin, oh my god, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" I apologize, offering to help him up.

He grabs my hand, and I easily pull his thin body up, "Damn Kat, what got into you there? I was just trying to scare you."

"Well, it certainly worked." I admit tiredly, scratching my head.

He puts back on his Joker mask and pulls another one out of his satchel, "People are passing these things out all over school."

I wave the mask away, "Why?"

He looks at me, confused, "Didn't you hear about what happened last night at Cornerstone? Didn't you see all of the cars in front of Cornerstone?"

I blink a bit, before nodding, "Yeah…yeah I did."

His expression hardens into concern, "Hey, you okay? You look, really out of it."

"I'm fine. So, what happened at Cornerstone?"

"You don't know what happened at Cornerstone?" Joey asks, walking over with his own Joker mask.

My head spins as I notice more students walking around with Joker masks, some even jumping out at other people to scare them, "It's…I'm…just getting a really bad feeling in my gut right now." I tell them, bending over, clutching my stomach.

"Hey, you sure you're okay?" Martin asks, timidly placing his hand on my back, attempting something resembling support.

I nod once again, "Yeah, I'm just, really tired."

I walk with them to our lockers, and they slowly forget my stumbling start and they begin talking about the Cornerstone Murder, as they've named it.

"Yeah Katniss, apparently they discovered the couple that runs Cornerstone were murdered by the Joker, and that he's been using their shop as a front for selling a drug called Joker Venom. And guess who came to stop them? Batman! And the police are saying that they suspect that Batman might be a student from our school! How cool is that?! I mean, Gotham High has its own Batman!" Joey explains.

I nervously swallow, "That sounds, pretty cool."

"Pretty cool?! Its awesome! It also confirms those Batman sightings you've been seeing lately Martin."

Martin nods with a smile.

"Hey, have any of you guys seen Brad today?" I ask them.

Martin shakes his head, "No, with what happened with his parents, who can blame him for staying home today?"

I nod and look down while Joey continues the Batman-centric conversation,

"But the real question is, who is Batman? I mean, he has to be athletic, and intelligent, and most of the guys here are either one or the other."

"You know, I'd love to be Robin." Martin admits.

Joey laughs, "No way man, no matter who Batman is, you'd tower over him! And Robin's lame, everyone wants to be Batman, not Robin."

Martin shrinks back a little, "So…I should stop being Robin for Halloween?"

"You still dress up for Halloween?" Joey asks.

He shrugs, "You're never too old for free candy."

During Forensic Sciences, two police officers come in to question all of the students one by one. I nervously grab at my pants, waiting for my turn.

"Katherine Wells?" the officer calls out.

I step off of my stool and walk out the door. The officers pulled out a desk for the student to sit in. I take the seat, while the first officer sits opposite me,

"So Katherine, I assume you've heard about what's happened?"

"Yes."

"Did you go to Cornerstone Drug and Liquor very often?"

"Every now and then."

"Did you know the couple who worked there very well?"

I have to pause and think about that one. I of course knew them, especially during freshmen year when one of them would always be manning the storefront after school. But then Brad starting manning the front everyday after school and…well…now we all know why.

"Yes, I did."

"When was the last time you saw them?"

"Uhm…it was…when I visited Cornerstone right before winter break."

"And you hadn't seen them since?"

"No…after that it was always their son Brad who was working Cornerstone."

"What can you tell us about their…son?"

"Well, his name is Brad. He's a freshman who attends this school, and he's been running the storefront after school for a couple of months now. He's…okay, I mean, he seemed pretty normal, really normal actually. To be honest, he's the last person I'd think of to be caught up in this kind of thing."

The two officers look at each other, exchanging worried glances before the first officer continues, "Katherine, you see, the couple who ran Cornerstone, they never had any children. We suspect that Brad is an outside person who murdered the family and then pretended to be their son as a front for his drug operations."

"So…he's the Joker?"

"We suspect he is the one who was arrested last night, but, the suspect escaped. That's why we're questioning the entire school. Associates of him may be in danger."

I'm clutching my fists so hard my arms begin to shake,

"Katherine, we need to know everything you know about Brad. If necessary you'll be under witness protection by the GCPD, I assure you, nothing will happen to you."

I try my best to keep myself under control, but my eyes are getting misty. I swallow my tears before continuing,

"He was selling a drug called Joker Venom. He offered me some but I never tried it. He also told me that he had two guys bringing it in every night, but he made it sound like it was his parents running the operation, not him. I'd never imagined it was him who was running the entire thing all along."

The officers simultaneously nod, "Thank you Katherine, we'll be in touch if anything new develops. We would have an officer keep watch of you, but the GCPD is stretched pretty thin as it is, and you don't appear to be _that_ connected to Brad that it would be absolutely necessary."

"Okay, thank you." I reply.

I traipse back into the classroom, and as soon as I get back up on my stool, I let out a major sigh of relief.

"Those guys try anything?" Winifred, sitting next to me, asks.

I shake my head, "No, but they sure drilled me like hell."

I spend the rest of my morning classes freaking out. The Joker's escaped? What if he finds out who I am, and starts going after my friends and family? I'd never thought I'd ever get them involved when I started dawning the costume. I just…why did I become a crime fighter? I guess it was because I was pissed off at my parents for shipping me off to Auntie Jennie's while they sort out their divorce. Why did they need to send me away in the first place? And why, after that, do they both never come to visit? I haven't seen either of them in several months, and the only reason Auntie Jennie can get a hold of my dad is because she borderline harasses him over when the dispute will be settled. Even when my parents were around, they were always out or working, so I guess this isn't much of a change to begin with.

I turn my thoughts away from family as I walk down into the locker room to change for cheerleading practice. Our big game against Disco Tech is tomorrow, so every practice is crucial. I walk up to the gym changed to find the entire team in their street clothes sprawled out on the bleachers.

"Hey Kathy." Tara groans, falling off one of the steps of the bleachers.

"What happened to all of you?" I ask.

Tara slowly picks herself up, "We're all just…really tired right now."

Her eyes are bloodshot, and her hair lacks the usual sheen. She also didn't bother to apply her makeup, and for Tara, that's code red.

"Brad's gone!" Sydney yells out, raising one of her pom-poms.

I cross my arms and let out a sigh. So they're experiencing withdrawal symptoms after one day? How much Joker Venom were they using?

"And he still has my cell!" Tara complains to the ceiling.

"Well, I'm gonna practice." I tell them, giving them the hand. I seriously don't want to deal with them right now.

I'm on my third round-off when Tara speaks again, "Hey, you did give Brad my cell phone, right?"

I jolt at the sudden sound, shifting to the left midair and landing on my posterior, "Uhm…yeah, I did."

"That would make you, like, the last person to have seen him, right?"

I shrug, "I don't know."

"Maybe Batman saw him." Sydney interjects.

Tara blows a couple of strands of hair out of her face, "Pfft! Screw Batman, he's always got his stand-up, moral high ground, "I'm always right" thing going on, and yet he gets to punch as many people as he wants."

I bite my lip, sure she's kind of out of it right now, but she's right, why do I get away with hurting people? I shake it away, no, they deserve what was coming to them, it's a means to an end, and besides, they attack first…usually…

"Isn't that more like, Superman's thing?" Tara asks.

Sydney laughs, "Its what every superhero is like!"

She gets a chuckle out of the rest of the girls. I return to stretching, while the other girls talk on the bleachers.

"Hey, don't freak out Tara, we can get our fix somewhere else." Sydney reassures her.

Tara shrugs, "I'm more concerned about my phone, my parents are gonna find out eventually. Hah…do you think Batman does mercenary work? I might be able to _convince_ him to get it for me."

I purse my lips and roll my eyes, feeling a laugh well up in my throat. No way I'd ever accept her "favors". But then again, maybe if I run into the Joker again, and a sickening feeling in my stomach tells me I will, then maybe I could get it back for her. But still…could I get her phone back from him and still make it out alive? And would he even still have it? You know…maybe its still in the shop…

Cheerleading practice ends with the sound of the lunch bell. I go down to the locker room to change while the rest of the girls sulk out of the gym. As I grab my street clothes and my backpack from my locker, I stop for a second. The general sounds of the locker room, the hissing and steaming of the pipes, the creeks and snaps of the old building, they all seem just a little too loud right now. I speed up my changing tenfold as I hear steps echoing throughout the locker room. I close my locker as slowly as possible, but I can't help the old rusty metal from making a scratching noise as it clasps shut. The minute the alarmingly loud noise is made, I bolt behind one of the endless rows of lockers and duck under one of the changing benches. I curl up into the tightest spot under the bench and squeeze my eyes shut. The footsteps splash against the collecting moisture on the concrete locker room floor. The florescent lights protected by metal cages flicker slightly in intensity every couple of seconds, illuminating the shadows cast by the lockers and benches. I dare to look up, and I see a small window leading out to the courtyard just outside the gym. Maybe if I'm fast enough, I could climb up and out. I listen to try to determine where the footsteps are, but the sound echoes throughout the locker room, making it nearly impossible. I decide on a gut feeling to make a run for it. At a breakneck pace, I slide from out of the bench, swinging out my left leg for support. From that leg, I throw myself into a sprint as I approach the window.

"Katherine Wells, what are you doing?!" a female voice asks.

I turn around and see that it's Ms. Erikson, the cheerleading coach.

"Oh! Ms. Erikson, you're back from surgery." I realize, sliding across the wet concrete floor to make a complete stop.

She crosses her arms, "I can see the discipline standards have dropped considerably in my absence. Where are the other girls? Where's Tara?"

I bite my lip, shoot, what should I say?

"Uhm…they already left. I'm just here because…we found a mouse, and I'm hunting it down."

She raises her eyebrow, "Hmm…well, how about I help you?"

I swallow, "Alright. Thanks."

My stomach drops as we look around for that "mouse". Is she gonna let me off the hook or am I in big trouble when we don't find it?

"Katherine! Come over here!" Ms. Erikson yells out for another part of the locker room.

I trace her voice to the entrance, connecting the girl's locker room to the boy's. The minute I push open the heavy door, I jump, almost backing back into the door. The entire wall has been decorated with messily applied green question marks made by spray paint. The moisture of the locker rooms has caused the paint to drip considerably, but the message is still legible.

_Riddle me this Caped Crusader! What can you lose, but still start again and again?_

"Katherine, go get the principal." Ms. Erikson tells me.

I nod, and race up the stairs. Who put that there? And how did he spray that out so quickly? I came that way when I went to change, so the guy must have come in and put it there while I was changing. That must have been the noises I heard, but, the noises were clearly coming from inside the locker room…I don't know, maybe I was just imagining things.

I walk into the main office, where the first thing that catches my eye are the large flat screen TV's that show the various security cameras around the school. Hmm…

"Katherine, what're you doing here?" it's Martin, looking over the modem connected to the TV screens.

"I'm looking for the principal." I tell him.

Martin looks around, "Uhm…he should be in his office."

"Thanks, hey, what're you doing?" I ask.

"Adjusting the connection to the monitors and the cameras. The connection's been kind of weird lately."

I nod, before walking over to the door leading to the principal's office. I knock on the door, before pushing it open, "Mr. McDowall?"

An elder, slender man with a pair of large, circular glasses looks up from his book, "Yes, Ms. Wells?"

"Mr. McDowall, there's some graffiti down by the locker rooms." I tell him.

He places his book on his desk, and adjusts his glasses, "Again? Oh alright, I'm coming."

He slowly reaches up to slowly push himself up from his desk while I go and grab his brown fedora from the coat rack.

"Thank you Ms. Wells." he says, accepting the hat and putting it on top of his nearly bald head.

The principal follows me out of his office, slowly shambling his way down the short, narrow hallway connecting his office to the main office.

"Mr. McDowall, another story for me to cover?" Martin asks, looking up from his work.

He nods, "Another graffiti incident apparently."

Martin returns his nod, and jogs over to follow us, bringing out his iPhone.

"So, Mr. McDowall, do you think there's some sort of pattern popping up with these graffiti cases?" Martin asks, setting his phone to record his voice.

"Of course. Anyone can see that this person is clearly trying to imitate the Riddler, a popular member of the Batman's rogue's gallery. What with the green question marks as his calling card, I predict that an actual riddle is soon to follow."

I pause, before speaking, "Actually, Mr. McDowall, the newest graffiti marks also include a riddle."

He gives an almost approving nod, "Hmm…well, tell m-actually, don't. I don't want to ruin the suspense."

"Mr. McDowall, it's widely known around the school that you were there during the reign of the original Batman, tell me, could you give us a retrospective on the Riddler?"

He chuckles, tilting his fedora up just a bit, "Oh yes, I remember Edward, he started out as just E. Nigma, doing petty crimes before picking up the name the Prince of Puzzles, the Riddler. He'd always leave clues to solving his crimes for the Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder to solve. I actually remember one time when he tried to not leave notes for the crime, and he couldn't do it!"

Wow, I'd almost forgotten that Mr. McDowall was there during the first emergence of Batman. No wonder people ask him about it so often, where else could you hear a first hand account of living in the golden age of Batman? The question is, shouldn't he have retired by now?

We arrive at the locker room entrance to find Ms. Erikson there with a bucket of water and a couple of rags,

"Principal McDowall! Good to see you again." she greets him with a firm handshake.

He chuckles, "Patty, its good to see you back on the job, I apologize for not being able to see you sooner, but I assume the operation was a success?"  
She nods, "Yes sir, it was."

He then looks over to the graffiti, "Hmm…riddle me this huh…mhmm…Caped Crusader, hmm, haven't heard that one in a while. But the riddle itself is…well it clearly isn't from Edward, I can tell you that."

"What do you think it means?" Ms. Erikson asks.

Mr. McDowall chuckles, "Now, where's the fun in that? Besides, I'm sure it doesn't mean anything. Martin, did you get your pictures?"

"Yes sir."

He nods, "Good, now help Katherine clean this up."

Martin leans back a bit in surprise, "Oh, uhm, okay sir."

Mr. McDowall and Ms. Erikson leave us to go check the security cameras in the main office. I look behind me and notice the black circular security camera peaking out from the ceiling. The footage is broadcasted on the TV's in the main office, I wonder…

"Can they rewind the security footage on those TV's?" I ask.

Martin stops scrubbing for a second, "Not just that. We have all of the security footage stored on USB drives in the main office. I think the footage goes back about ten years. Don't know why they bother keeping all the footage though. Why do you ask?"

I shrug, "Just curious. Wonder what the riddle means though…"

"That's easy. Something you can lose, but start again, and again…it's a game!" Martin cries out. "And that means, the Riddler must be planning something for the big game tomorrow!"

"How'd you figure that out so quickly Martin?" I ask.

He shrugs, "I don't know…logic, I guess?"

"Well, then why don't we go and tell Mr. McDowall so he can do something about it?" I suggest, ringing out my towel and watching the diluted green water pour into the bucket.

Martin pauses, "…do you think they'll believe me? I mean, what're they gonna do? The game's tomorrow, and from what I've heard it's a big game. Do you think that the school will be willing to alter the game because of this?"

I look up at the now somewhat smudged message on the wall. Martin is usually pretty confident in himself, what's gotten into him?

"Personally, I think the students' safety should be the school's top priority, not their rivalry with Disco Tech. If you think this is a warning, then you should tell them."

Martin looks down, and then forms a smile, "Hey, Kat, how long have we known each other?"

I pause, "Uhm…I think it's been five years now."

He chuckles, "Heh, that's right, middle school. We were totally different back then, weren't we?"

I nod, "Well, for one thing, back then, I was the taller one."

We both laugh a little, and I end up turning and looking at Martin. Now that I think of it, he was a lot shyer when he were younger, and Joey was the outgoing one who introduced us. Now I guess you could say they're more on the same level. He hasn't grown just physically…

"Hey, you should probably go to Mr. McDowall. I'll finish up here." I offer.

Martin looks up at me, still smiling brightly, "Alright. See you later, Katniss."

"Aw c'mon, not you too." I protest lightly.

"Hey, you gotta admit, it does suit you."

I shrug and roll my eyes. Despite Joey's tendency towards lame references, I'll admit…I guess it kind of, sort of suits me.


	7. Riddle Me This

Seeing the school at night is kind of unusual, most of the lights have been left on, with the exception of the hallway leading to the main office, which is exactly where I want to get into to. There's a side doorway leading directly to the main office. I pull out my screwdriver and push the bushes away to reveal the white electronic box that controls the door, and find it already open and tampered with. I get up and stumble away from the white box. I look over at the door. Placing my screwdriver back into my pocket, I reach for the door, my eyes wandering over to the security camera tucked into the corner. I grab a hold of the door and pull. The door easily swings open and I feel a drafty wind fly out from the hallway. Stepping in, I quietly and carefully shut the door close, although it really doesn't make a difference now, since the lock is now permanently broken. Since the main office door hasn't been tampered with in the same way, I open up the box with a wire leading to the office door and flip the emergency switch on. Suddenly, I hear a slight *click* to the left of me. Smiling, I re-screw the bolts back onto the box and open the office door. I immediately make my way over to the labeled cabinets in the corner of the office. I scroll down until I find a cabinet labeled: "Security Recordings". Pulling open the cabinet reveals small boxes full of USB drives, each box labeled with a general date. I find the one with the most recent date. Opening the box, I find that it's contents consist of several different USB drives, all without labels. The Riddler could appear in anyone of these, I guess I'll just have to try all of them. How much video can you fit onto one USB drive anyway? And the videos probably don't take up as much space, considering that they're in black and white and have no sound. But then again, each camera is capturing footage twenty-four/seven, and there's a bunch of security cameras around school…

"You're here Batman!" a high-pitched, old-styled broadcasting voice calls out.

I turn around, and I'm greeted with a very tall blond gentleman boldly standing upright in green elf boots, skin tights, a green bathing suit with a red vest, and a black mask.

"…Martin?"

He jumps back, "Kat? You're Batman…I mean, gee golly sorry Batman! Don't wanna give away your secret identity but, how did you know it was me, Martin, aka Robin the Boy Wonder, your youthful sidekick?"

I chuckle, "Martin, you've been wearing that costume for Halloween for three years straight, you don't think I would recognize you?" I pause, "And also, aren't you older than me?"

"By half a year!" Martin protests, slipping back into his normal voice. "Anyway, what do you need Batman?"

"I need to go over the security footage of the hallway right before I found the graffiti by the locker rooms this afternoon." I explain.

"Oh, well, Mr. McDowall and Ms. Erikson were looking at it earlier, I have it right here." he tells me, pulling out a USB drive from his pocket.

"Oh, uhm…thanks."

I take the drive and go over to the TV screens and plug it in while Martin puts away the others back into the cabinet.

"Say, does that costume seriously have pockets?" I ask.

Martin closes the cabinet, "Not pockets, utility belt." he explains, pointing to a small belt just below his vest, "Say, where's your utility belt?"

That's actually a very good question, "I don't have one."

"What do you mean you don't have one?!"

I shrug, "The costume didn't come with one. It's not actually a Batman costume, it's a Batwoman costume I tweaked a bit."

"Well…I mean…it doesn't look like…something that would be fit for a…woman." he stutters.

"Its my aunt's. Its from the fifties or sixties, so it fits pretty loosely."

Martin wiggles his nose, "Or you could just admit to working out a bunch."

I smirk, "Oh ha, ha."

Martin jumps into the swivel chair by the main desk and spins around in it until he arrives at the front desk's desktop computer, "Now, just let me just find the point we're looking for." The TV screens go black, before switching to playing back the recording of the previous afternoon. Martin begins scanning through the footage before coming across a figure walking down the narrow stairs leading to the locker rooms. In the small hallway space between the boys and girls locker room, the figure, completely covered by a hoodie.

"So, how are we gonna determine who this guy is?" I ask.

"After this, we just have to follow him via the cameras. If he leaves the school without showing his face, then I'll rewind it and we can follow him backwards. Either way, he's bound to show his face sometime." Martin explains.

We begin watching the footage as the hooded figure sprays the message on the wall. Martin spins around in his chair a couple of times before returning to the computer screen, his head twirling just a bit.

"Hey, don't you think that riddle was kind of simple?" I mention, crossing my arms while watching the footage.  
He shrugs, "I guess so. But usually the Riddler's first riddles are simple, but then they usually lead to reveal a more complex plan." He pauses for a bit, "Or, you know, this guy could just be stupid."

I chuckle, "Who knows? But…do you think he really has something planned for the game tomorrow?"

He nods, "Definitely. So I'll definitely be there. You?"

"Yeah. I have to, I'm a cheerleader, remember?"

"Oh yeah…heh, sorry, it's easy to forget."

Suddenly, the school alarms start blaring, and all of the lights turn on to their brightest setting, blinding the both of us in florescent light. I squeeze my eyes shut and cross my arms in front of my face, turning my head away from the lights.

"What's going on?!" I shout over the alarms, trying to open my eyes slowly bit by bit.

"I'm checking the security feed now!" I hear Martin's voice reply, but his loudest shout could just barely be heard over the alarms. "I need you to shut off the alarm system, before the cops show up! The code is gothamhs2011, the alarm shutoff is in the principal's office!"

I give some kind of gesture resembling a nod, before scrambling over in the direction of the principal's office. My left arm guiding me, and my right arm shielding my eyes, I throw myself against the door of the principal's office, knocking it open. The alarms get louder with each blare, as I begin searching through the principal's desk for the alarm switch. Opening the middle compartment, I find the alarm control and a small gadget beside it. My eyes having just barely adjusted, I punch in the password, and the alarms…stop. I rub my ears, the heart pulsing noise of the alarms is finally gone. As I blink away the last blurry spots, I notice the small gadget sitting by the alarm controls. I pick it up. It appears to be a set of earpieces, both comprised of a clunky metal material with microphones attached. I bring the set over to Martin, who's calmly typing on the main desk's computer.

"How were you not fazed by that light?" I ask.

He turns around, revealing his yellow tinted square framed sunglasses awkwardly placed over his black mask. He adjusts them slightly and raises an eyebrow, "Style."

I instinctively laugh, before stifling back to a serious posture, "So, what set off the alarm?"

Martin's carefree demeanor disappears, and he swallows, "The Riddler's here."

I run up to the computer, displaying the current security feed, "Where?!"

Martin points over to the top right hand camera of the second floor hallway where a man in a button down, vest, and slacks.

"Second floor, right by the library." he tells me. His eyes dart and notice the set of earpieces in my hands, "Hey, where'd you get those?"

I look down at them, I'd almost forgotten about them, "I found them in Mr. McDowall's office. I've never seen anything like this before, have you?"

Martin swipes them right out of my hand and takes off his sunglasses and puts on his regular prescription glasses,

"These are obviously some sort of communication device, by the look of the speakers and mics." he puts one on, pressing the small button on its side to turn it on and hands the other back to me, "Can you hear me?" he asks as his voice is sent into the microphone and out through my speaker.

I turn to him and nod. He paces back to the computer,

"He's on the third floor, by all of the art classrooms. You have to catch him while you still can. We'll use these earpieces to keep in touch."

I nod, before securing my earpiece in place and running out the door. I'm only on the first floor, so I need to really to hurry if I want to catch up with him.

"Umm…Kat, we have a problem." Martin's voice rings loud and clear into my ear, as if he were actually right beside me.

"What's wrong?" I whisper into my microphone.

There's a slight pause, "The Riddler knows you're coming for him. He's got a cell phone with access to the school security cameras and is waiting for you on the third floor."

I nod, "Okay. I'm approaching the third floor, wish me luck."

"Be careful Kat."

The concealed figure creeps and slinks up against the wall, peering out from behind the corner. In the shadows, another figure can be seen impatiently tapping his foot.

"I know you're there." he calls in a clear, silky voice.

The dark shadow flies out from behind the corner, gracefully sliding to a stop. The dark knight rises to a complete stand, showcasing a tall imposing stature.

"So, we finally meet. You're exactly as I predicted. Tall, lean, muscular. Ah, but intelligent? We'll have to see. How're you faring on my latest riddle?" The Riddler asks, swinging his cane.

"You're planning something for the basketball game tomorrow." a deep, gruff voice confronts him.

The Riddler smiles, "Awh, that's all? Or are you waiting for me to reveal my grand scheme so you can oh-so conveniently fool my plan? Sorry Batman, but I'm not interested in doing that dance. But…I am willing to concede if you'll be willing to reveal you identity."

"Is that what you want?"

He gives a strangely controlled laugh, "Oh Dark Knight, there's a lot of things I want. For one, I'm missing a green coat to complete my ensemble. But my closet aside…do we have a deal?" he asks, extending a gloved hand.

"No." he cold facedly replies, barely moving his lips.

The Riddler's expression changes from a cocky smile to surprise, and then to a frown of disappointment. He begins to step backwards, "Well, if I can't get first dibs, I guess we'll all just have to find out together. Tell me, why does the caged bird sing?" he asks, stepping past a pair of open doors.

Batman begins charging for the Riddler, but the Riddler takes out a cell phone and quickly swipes a command, triggering the two fireproof doors to slam shut violently. Batman hears the two other sets of doors close on themselves as well and the red fire alarm in the center of the hallway begins blaring.

"That's a trick question. The little birdie isn't singing. That's the fire alarm, and after I set it off the first time, the police are definitely gonna investigate now. I'll be looking forward to seeing your TV debut Dark Knight. Ta ta for now."


	8. Batman and Robin

  I desperately try every possible exit. The doors are all automatically shut, and there are no windows in this hallway. The classrooms are all locked, and the small window in each classroom door shows that police cars are already starting to surround the building. Even if I did go out the windows, I'd be dead meat once I got down. In frustration, I kick the wall, hitting a set of metal bars. I look down at what I'd just kicked, its the school ventilation system, the old-fashioned kind that’s just large enough to fit a person. Perfect.

  I’ll admit it was so embarrassing doing a quick-change in the middle of the security room as the police cars began surrounding the building. I watch as Kat/Batman unbolts the vent grate and slips in, making sure to close it behind her. By the time the police see the footage, she’ll be long gone. With my tights still on under my jeans, I grab a security guard jacket, throw it on, and rest myself casually on the desk chair, displaying myself as if I was asleep the whole time.

“What’s going on?!” a police officer shouts, as a group of them knock down the door.

I pretend to jump awake in surprise, jolting around in my chair for good measure. The police officers roll their eyes, clearly having fallen for my security guard disguise. Its good the school still keeps the jackets, but we haven’t had a security guard since even before I came. They continue through the building, while one of them stays here to ask me some questions.

“Did you hear the school alarm go off?” the officer asks.

I shake my head, “No, but I know the thing gets tripped all the time. You know those teenagers.”

Luckily, my extreme tallness gives off the illusion of being an adult, and the thick jacket obscures how thin I am.

“Are you aware of the recent rumors of the school having its own ‘Batman’?” the officer continues.

“Well, I know the students were recently passing around some Joker masks after the incident at the corner store up the street, and I saw that stuff on the news, but other than that, no.” I reply, using my clearest, deepest, most adult voice.

He asks me a couple more questions, how long I’ve been working here, yadda yadda yadda. I eventually excused myself, saying that I had to get home. The other cops soon returned, saying that they couldn’t find Batman. Its hard to believe that these officers were actually referring to Kat as Batman. It’s actually kind of cool, really. I grab my backpack and head out. The cold air and icy streets are to be expected in Gotham, especially at night. Its a good thing I didn’t bother to take off the security guard jacket, which protected me against the cold. Maybe I’ll keep it, its not exactly fashionable, but it might come in handy again…

   I stumble into school, my nose sniffling. That vent duct was a great way to escape from the cops, but it was so dusty in there, and now my allergies are acting up because of it. I notice that, despite the police investigating the building after the Riddler set it off, today the school appears to be functioning just as it would on any other day. Maybe the police wrote it off as just an accident, the school fire alarm does get set off pretty often, the miracles of working with fifty year old technology.

My first classes are a blur to me, and I also remember I still have practice during lunch as well. Today’s the big day, the game against Disco Tech, which means I’ll have to stay late. Hopefully I can find somewhere to get some sleep before the game. In my English class, I begin to lay my head down to doze a little. There are fifty other guys in the class, who’s gonna notice me? And besides, there’s probably at least two other people behind me doing the same thing. Instead of sleeping however, my mind begins to wander toward last night. Its hard to believe Martin knows my identity (although his reaction to it with the Robin outfit was half embarrassing, half adorable), but I didn’t think he’d be the first to find out. In fact, I hadn’t planned on anyone finding out. I should probably be more careful, lest more people figure out who I am. And there’s also the Riddler, if he’s really going to do something during the game tonight, I have to be ready. My costume is in my hall locker, and I can easily slip it into my gym locker during lunch practice. They leave the locker rooms unlocked during the game for the players, mascot, and of course us cheerleaders, so it’ll be easy for me to sneak from the gym and into the locker room if something were to go wrong. But, what could he do? After taking a look at the Riddler, he doesn’t appear to be very physically intimidating, maybe he’ll hire some henchmen. But the way he stands, there’s something very grandiose about him, despite the fact that I’m almost half a foot taller.

“Katherine, are you sleeping?” I hear the teacher ask.

I slowly lift my head back up, trying to appear natural, “No, just taking notes.”

The teacher, looking only about half into it herself, decides not to continue her inquisition. Besides, I could sleep in this class everyday and still end up with an A at the end of the semester.

   Lunchtime arrives and I’ve gotten a substantial amount of sleep from both my English class and my AP World History because we had a sub who had no idea what he was doing. I pick up my lunch of a salad and some salmon from the cafeteria before heading over to the gym. As I enter the gym, I see that its completely changed from the flatline, plain gym that I’m use to. Its always fun to see the gym decorated for the games. Everything from the bleachers to the scoreboard is plastered in black and grey decorations such as streamers, banners, posters, and balloons. It looks more like a graduation ceremony than a basketball game, and the dark and unusual school colors give off the aura of a Halloween party. The forklift used by the decorating committee is still out off to the side of the gym, next to a yet unhung poster proudly proclaiming the Gotham Bats. As per usual, I am the only cheerleader with a lunch handy. I use the fifteen minutes given to eat before practice to actually...eat while the rest of the girls actively text.

“Kathy, a salad and fish? Don’t you think that’s a bit much?” Sydney asks, waving her phone around in-between Snapchats.

“I’m not gonna be able to eat for the rest of the day due to the game.” I explain. “And I’ll need the strength.”

“What I do is I pig out during breakfast so I don’t have to eat for the rest of the day.” Tara smiles brightly.

Sydney shakes her head, “No, I just snack all day, but never in front of people. I don’t know, it's embarrassing to eat in front of people, especially boys.”

“Me too! That’s why I always eat at home, where no one has to see me be fat!”

I forcefully stab my fork into the salmon, causing sauce to fly everywhere, “I am trying to eat!”

The two girls stop their gabber, and Tara stares at me as I take a napkin and wipe off the sauce,

“You okay?”

I shrug, “Just...nervous I guess.”

Tara’s face grows worried, “How about we talk outside?”

“I’ll come too!” Sydney volunteers, although perspectively, I don’t really know her that well.

The three of us walk out together, Tara’s hand on my shoulder. We exit the gym into the hallway, where I sit myself by a windowsill as Tara begins,

“So, what’s been bothering you? I mean, I know its gotta be more than the game. I mean, you’re normally such a strong person…”

Sydney sits up by the windowsill next to me, “I think I know what’s been worrying you. Its the dance, isn’t it?”

I turn around and look at her, truth be told, I hadn’t even thought of the dance, despite banners and advertisements for the thing being up almost everywhere, even right where we are now. I’d hate to lie to them, but would they even believe me if I told the truth?

“...yeah.” I have the reputation of being the only cheerleader who’s never been to a school dance. Basically for the simple reason that I’ve never been asked. I mean I’d love to go, but that would require a date, which I wouldn’t have had.

Tara places her hand over her lips, “Oh my gosh, I hadn’t even thought of that. Kathy, I’m so sorry. I mean, we were planning on hooking you up with Brad but…”

“Brad, seriously?! Even before we knew he was a psycho, she can do way better than that.” Sydney defends.

“I know, but at least his name sounds hunky.”

Sydney sighs, and turns back to me, “Look, I know how you feel, I mean, freshmen year, for the Homecoming Dance, I was stuck with the captain of the chess club.”

...that’s Joey. I remember how excited he was for it, he dressed up for it and everything, even though Homecoming is a more casual dance. Unfortunately, he had to borrow his father’s suit, which looked at least two sizes too big and thirty years out of date. Subverting the disappointing prom cliche, he was the one who came running out crying. I think Martin has the whole incident recorded on his phone…

“...that doesn’t sound too bad.” I tell her, with a gentle smile.

“I mean, we can find you a date right?” Tara asks. “There’s the captain of the soccer baseball team…”

“He’s already going with Treasure.” Sydney corrects with a sigh.

Tara pauses for a second, “Sydns, get out your phone, lets go down a list of candidates. Now, captain of the baseball team.”

Sydney taps rapidly on her phone for a few seconds, “...taken.”

“Really guys, he doesn’t have to be anyone important. I would’ve been fine with Brad, if he wasn’t, you know...crazy.” I tell them.

Sydney sticks her finger in front of me, “Shush. You’re practically co-captain of the cheerleading squad. You deserve to go out with someone amazing.”

“So...what about the captain of the tennis team?”

Sydney blows a raspberry, “Ew, no. The tennis team sucks.”

“What about the football captain? Everyone wants to go out with the football captain.” Tara says exasperatedly, throwing up her arms.

“...isn’t he gay?”

Tara slaps her hand on her forehead, “Oh, right. Uhm...I don’t know...captain of the basketball team?”

“Hey, that’s my date!” Sydney shouts, her high-pitched voice nearly squeaking.

I sigh, “Look you guys, I’ll be fine. If I find someone, I’ll go, and if not, well, that’s okay.”

I stand up and begin walking back to the gym. As soon as I enter I begin calling the girls to begin warm-ups. I don’t usually order the other cheerleaders around unless Tara isn’t there to do so, but today I’m just not in a very good mood.


	9. Ring Around the Riddler

  By the time classes end I’m exhausted. With the gym closed for final preparations, my homework out of the way, I find a quiet side staircase to sit down and rest. I place my chunky backpack against the wall, lean against it like the back of a chair, and begin to doze off…

“Hey, Kat?”

I flash awake, stumbling up on my feet, before realizing that its just Martin, “Oh...hey Martin.”

Martin waves at me, “Hey. You mind if I sit down with you?”

“Sure. I was just trying to get some sleep before the game, but...sure.”

We awkwardly shuffle around so that the both of us can fit in the tight hallway space, but somehow we manage to work around Martin’s long spider-like legs and torso.

“So...you know.” I mumble.

He nods, “Its, kind of hard to believe actually. I always expected him to be, well, a him.”

I grunt, “Yeah, I guess that would make sense.”

“So, like, you need help with this whole crime fighting thing? I mean, I’d make a great Robin…”

I chuckle, “I don’t think so. Can you even fight?”

Martin opens his mouth, about to say something, but pauses, “Wel...uhm...actually...not really. But you know, I could build some new tech. That communicator for example, you still have it?”

I reach into my pocket, and pull it out, “Yep.”

He nods, “Good, and I’ve got mine. Since I’ll be attending the game, we can watch out for the Riddler together.”

“Just...promise me something.”

“What? I’ll stay out of trouble, don’t worry about me. And I’ve got my handy-dandy laptop, which may or may not allow me access to the school security system.”

I look up at him from my slumped state, “Seriously?”

“Uhuh, if I can do it from the mainframe, why not remotely? Now, get some sleep, you’re gonna need it, Riddler or no Riddler.”

I nod, and rest my head upon what feels like the outline of my history textbook.

“That looks...really uncomfortable.” Martin comments. He scoots closer to me,  gently moves his hand onto my shoulder, and pushes my head onto his shoulder. His soft sweatshirt was much more comfortable than my backpack, although I could feel his shoulder bone protruding out slightly. I nuzzle in a little,

“Thanks, man.” before falling asleep.

   I can feel the excitement in the air as we wait behind the gymnasium doors for our cue. All of the other girls are putting on the final touches of their makeup, or are quietly chatting and giggling. I go over the cheers in my head, but that’s not what I’m nervous about. What does the Riddler have in store? I tell myself that everything will be fine, but at the same time, I can never be quite too sure. I pull my hair back into a ponytail, concealing my earpiece that Martin gave me with a couple loose hairs.

The buzzer sounds and all of the girls and I run out into the bright lights. The gym itself is lit as brightly as possible, with two separate search lights reflecting towards the middle of the gymnasium floor. We wave at the crowd before beginning our cheers. As we perform, I catch glimpses of the crowd, looking for anything even remotely green, but it doesn’t help that Disco Tech’s colors are green and blue. I easily spot Martin, for out of all the black and grey of the Gotham High Bats, he’s sporting a white dress shirt with rolled up sleeves, sleek black vest and yellow tie. We finish up and run off as the basketball players take the floor. At the blow of the whistle, the game begins. Gotham High gets the ball...oh, but Disco Tech steals it right from them! Its gettin over to the Gotham High side and...oh Disco Tech scores, and in just the first few minutes!

“That doesn’t look good.” Sydney comments.

“Oh, it’ll be fine.” Tara replies, “Its just the first few minutes.”

Fifty minutes, two twelve minute quarters and three more points later, Disco Tech is still in the lead, with the score 1-3.

“Ugh, this sucks.” Tara growls, covering her face with her pom poms.

The two teams clear the field, leaving it empty. We pick up our pom poms for the mid-game cheer off with Disco Tech’s cheerleading team, but just then the lights all go out completely. There’s screams and chaos. I find myself a wall to cling to for support as my eyes adjust to the darkness. I notice that the forklift is moving to the center of the gym, seemingly on its own. Except...there’s someone standing on top of the forklift. Suddenly, the two search lights flash on, practically blinding me and everyone else. But on top of that forklift I can see...green.

“Ladies, and gentlemen!” his voice, loud and clear, seems to be coming from the school PA system, “Welcome to your halftime show. I am your host, the Riddler!”

As my eyes readjust to the light, I see that the other students are crowding around the doors, trying to get out, but the doors aren’t opening.

“Now, don’t even try to think of leaving. I’ve locked the doors using the electronic school security system. So much for state of the art technology.”

Apparently, the crowd either didn’t hear him, or that his information made them even more hysterical, because they continue to pound and slam onto the reinforced doors.

“...Kat, can you hear me?” I can hear Martin ask from my earpiece.

I adjust it a bit, “Yeah, I can hear you. Where are you?”

“Under the bleachers.” I look over and see a glimpse of his yellow tie from under one of the benches, “I’m trying to decode the encryption that the Riddler placed on the security system. It should take a couple minutes, and I can only keep the doors open for so long, so get ready to go when I say so.” he orders.

“Alright.” I reply.

“Now, riddle me this! What can fly at night, but can’t see? That’s right, a bat, and nobody is leaving until the ‘Batman’ comes out and reveals himself. Oh yeah, and a date to the Valentine Day dance wouldn’t be bad either, ladies?” he extends a green gloved hand to the cheerleaders.

Ignoring the Riddler I cautiously begin weaving my way through the other girls to the side door leading to the locker rooms.

“We all already have dates.” Sydney pouts, folding her arms.

The other cheerleaders murmur in agreement, while I begin hearing static from my earpiece,

“Okay Kat. Get ready.” Martin warns.

“Hey, Kathy doesn’t have a date!” one of the cheerleaders blurts out, pointing a painted nail at me.

The Riddler swings around, and our eyes meet. His eyebrows raise, as if he’s surprised to see me, but he suddenly gets a twisted smile on his face,

“Oh, how perfect.” he reveals a small remote control, and with the push of the button, the forklift slowly rolls toward me.

As it approaches me, the spotlights follow him, showing that they’re also controlled by the remote he’s carrying. I begin stepping back as it draws closer, and the Riddler peers down from above, “Katherine Wells, will you be my date to the Valentine dance?” he reaches behind him and pulls out a green rose.

Unable to speak, I can only react when I hear Martin in my earpiece,

“NOW!”

The fire alarm blares throughout the halls, and all of the gymnasium doors fly open. I make a run for my destination.

“No, wait!” the Riddler cries, and I can hear him fumble with his remote.

Just as I reach the door, they rapidly begin closing in on me, I slip to the slippery gym floor and make a wilson slide through the doors just in time. As I run down the stairs, I can hear Martin from my earpiece,

“Woh, nice!”

“Thanks, but you need to get out of there. I’ll handle it from here.” I tell him.

“And let him get away while you’re changing?” he counters, “I don’t think so. I’ll keep you posted, but I’m not going anywhere.”

   I told her I’m not going anywhere, and I intend to stick to that. From my safe spot behind the stands, I watch as the rest of the students escape from the main gym doors. With the side gym door Kat escaped out of now being locked, nobody will be able to follow her, but at the same time, how will she be able to get out of the gym? And that whole thing with the Riddler was freaking creepy. I mean, what if the Riddler turns out to be some teacher? Eww…

The last student files out, and the Riddler is left by himself. I adjust myself in my hiding spot as to not be seen. Using his remote control he lowers the forklift and steps off of it. I suddenly realize, he’s a lot shorter than he looked up top that forklift. I’m at least twice his height, and while he looks a bit gangly maybe I can at least stall him before Kat gets here. I creep out from behind the bleachers just as the Riddler is about to leave the gym,

“Hey!” I shout, as loud as I can.

He turns around, and I prepare for a chase, but he...starts walking toward me?

“Hey, Martin!”

Is that...Joey?

"Martin! Its me!" Joey/the Riddler cries, briefly lifting his mask to reveal his youthful blue eyes.

"Why're you doing this Joey?" I ask furiously, not pleased with his jovial behavior.

"I just had to find out who Batman was, so I found this costume at a thrift store, spiffed up my voice a little bit, and voilà! The Riddler was born. And while revealing Batman's identity, if I can also spook those dumb jocks a little bit, all the better, don't you agree?"

Out of the corner of your eye you spot a security camera.

"But, this is insane. How did you crack the system?"

Joey blows a raspberry, “You don’t think you’re the only person in this school who has tech expertise? I’m on tech crew just like you, I’m just not the head. But hey, after this, maybe I’ll be promoted, who knows.”

I slowly begin to step away from him, “Joey...I don’t know what prompted you to do this...but I’m going to get you help, okay?”

“Hey man, what’s wrong with a little curiosity? And I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?” he stops, chuckling a bit.

Is this what it was all about? Finding Batman’s identity? No, it couldn’t be that simple.

“Dude, what is your problem?”

I could see Joey’s gloved fist tighten, and he grits his teeth, “What’s my problem you say? My problem is that, nobody notices me. Who’s ever congratulated me for my work? For once in my life, I just wanted to be noticed, for something, anything. I’m captain of the chess team, I’ve led them to nationals for two years now! And who gets noticed? The guy who dresses up in black and breaks into a convenience store.”

I place my hand on his shoulder, “Dude, I know how you feel, really, I do…”

He pushes me away, “No, you don’t! Everyone sees me as that quiet, awkward guy. Well, that’s not me anymore.”

I pause for a moment, “You asked Kat out to the dance?”

He sniffles, “Yeah, what about it?”

“What was it like?”

His back turned to me, he lifts his mask to wipe his eyes, “Well...you saw what happened. Do you...do you think she would’ve said yes?”

Just then, a dark figure appears, their shadow silhouetted by the bring gymnasium lights, “You’re plan’s been foiled Riddler.”

“Batman!” Riddler/Joey shouts, his voice changing into that of an older, adult-like broadcast persona, “I see you’ve finally decided to join the party.”

Batman dashes for Riddler, who presses something on his remote control, and all of a sudden every light in the gym turns up to an unbelievable brightness, blinding all of us in a flash of light. Its so bright, I can barely see anything, I can hear footsteps though, echoing through the gym. I fall to the floor, covering my eyes from the light. The lights themselves, already overheated from the game, being shattering around us, pieces of glass bulb falling from the ceiling. I feel a hand grab mine and forcefully pull me up.

“C’mon, we need to get out of here!” it was Kat, as she hoists up my thin frame and begins dashing for the front doors, both of us stepping on broken glass along the way, “These are mercury lights, they release toxic gas when broken!”

We burst out of the door, and I breath a sigh of relief, leaning against an outdoor railing, “Thanks Ka-” but she’s already gone. **  
**


	10. Joey's Confession

   I walk into school with my hands shaking and my feet unsteadily planting me step by step as I walk up the stairs to the main entrance. I walk into a wild madhouse, students are everywhere, running up and down the hallways and stairs. They’re balloons and banners everywhere, with the largest banner hanging over the main staircase reading: “Thank You Batman!” with a hand-drawn Batsymbol running across. But at the same time, the school, or should I say the police, had ramped up security, with officers at every corner.

“Pretty cool huh?” Joey asks, walking up to me.

“Yeah, pretty cool.” I mumble. “Hey, have you seen Martin?”

He shakes his head, “Nope, strange. He usually gets here way before me. Maybe he’s sick. Did you see him at the game yesterday?”

I twist my lip, “Uhm...yeah. He was there. I think he was doing stuff for the newspaper.”

“Man, he must have gotten some really cool shots of Batman and the Riddler. He could make like, a real comic book out of it!”

I shrug, “I’m not so sure about that. But I have to admit, it was pretty cool.”

“Were you scared when the Riddler showed up?”

I pause. Was I? I mean, he wasn’t physically threatening, even though he may have looked taller on the riser. Actually, looking back to last night, he was actually a couple of inches shorter than me.

“As scared as anyone else, especially once those doors were locked.” I reply.

“Man, but at least Batman showed up to get everyone out, right?”

I nod, “At least there was Batman.”

“Did you get a good look at him?”

“Did you get a good look at him?” I counter sarcastically.

He shakes his head, “I wasn’t at the game, I only saw the news footage after it all happened.”

“You weren’t at the game? Where were you?”

“Home. I had to study for a Mandarin test, which I’m pretty sure I’m gonna bomb anyway.” he admits.

“You probably got a B or something.” Martin interjects, walking over to us.

“Exactly!”

I chuckle, but then I look up and actually see Martin. He looks really tired, even more so than I. We weren’t exposed to too much of the mercury gas last night, so it couldn’t be that that’s effecting him. On top of that, his expression is very, leery, suspicious.

Martin shrugs, swinging his satchel over his shoulder, “Well, I’mma go to class. Kat, you mind if you walk me there?”

“Alright.” I reply.

“Hey, what about me?” Joey cries out.

I look over at Martin, who sternly shakes his head no, “I’ll see you during lunch Joey, okay?” I call out, turning the corner to another hallway.

Martin strides through the hallway at a much faster pace than usual, passing past his class completely, I follow him to a small stairwell, a common landmark in schools built in the 50s.

“Look, Joey’s the Riddler.” he blurts out, swiveling around suddenly, “You saw, I talked to him. He’s the Riddler.”  
I stop in my tracks, “Wha…Joey? No way man. First of all, he wasn’t even at the game last night, and secondly, what motivation would Joey have to dress up in all green and terrorize the school?”

“Think about it Kat! When has Joey ever had friends besides us? Out of all the kids in debate, he’s the one who gets the most flak, because he’s short, and no offense, but kind of goofy looking.”

“He is not goofy looking...he’s just...dorky, you know, in that kind of adorable way...he’s adorkable.”

Martin sighs, “Well, I’m sorry, but this is high school, but not everyone out there has your mindset. Remember last year’s Valentine dance?”

I pause, “Huh...that’s right...poor Joey…alright, well, if he is the Riddler, and I’m still giving him the benefit of the doubt, what are we going to do?”

“Well, I mean, we can’t turn him into the police…”

“Why not?” I question, “If you’re so dead set sure he’s the Riddler, why can’t we turn him in to the police?”

“Well, its not like he did anything wrong! Sure he might disrupted the game, but we were losing anyway...and nobody got hurt, right?”

“Except for the two freshmen that apparently got trampled during the chaos.” I counter.

“Oh yeah.” he realizes, “I’d heard about that.”

“So do we turn him in or not?”

Martin pauses, scratching his head, “Well, I mean, he revealed himself to me in the gym...and there’s security cameras in all corners...the police are bound to pick it up eventually.”

“So we leave it to the police then.”

Martin nods, “Yeah, turning him in might bring more suspicion toward us, and the last thing we need is to have you arrested too. You know, they think that you...I mean Batman, was the one who opened the gym doors.”

The warning bell rings, signally five minutes till class starts.

“Really? I can hardly manage my Facebook privacy settings, no way can I hack into a school security system.”

He chuckles, “True.”

“What’s wrong? You want the credit for your work and get arrested?” I ask jokingly.

“No way!” Martin shakes away, “I just think I should have a super hero name, or at least some kind of codename.”

“Hmm...true...well, I’m sure we’ll figure it out in time.” I figure.

“And one more thing.” Martin reaches into his bookbag and throws me a small electronic chip, “Voice disguiser, fits right into your mouth. Worked on it all night. Might wanna wash it first, I tested it on myself.”

I nearly drop it at the thought of it having been in his mouth. I put it in my pocket, germs aside,  its probably much better than trying to sound like Batman on my own.

  Lunchtime arrives and I reach my locker to find Joey already waiting there. Leaning against the rows of lockers, his usual joyful expression isn’t present today.

“Hey Joey, sorry for ditching you like that this morning.” I apologize.

“Its cool...hey, can we go somewhere...quieter? There’s something I need to talk about.”

I follow Joey through the hallways to the school garden. I try reading his expression, but he keeps ahead of me just enough so that I don’t see his face. There’s no way he can threaten me physically, and he’s definitely not the kind of guy who’d hire a bunch of thugs. Even so, I remember the screwdriver I keep in my backpack for lock-picking. If my fists aren’t enough...I’ll be ready.

He takes a seat on one of the tables where the chess club usually meets. I sit next to him. He takes a deep breath,

“So...I’m assuming Martin told you.”

I nod, so it is true, “Yeah, but why Joey? Why would you feel the need to do something like that?”

He sighs, “I, I thought if I could catch Batman...I’d be a hero. The police have been looking for him since the Cornerstone thing and...well, I just...I just wanted the attention.”

“Alright...but we’ve also gotta address the other elephant in the room.”

“I’m sorry, okay! I didn’t think there’d be any other way! And I thought otherwise, you’d go with Martin.”

“Well, I was figuring we could all just go as friends.” I tell him, “But if you really wanted to go to the dance with me, you could’ve just asked.”

“So...you will go to the dance with me?” he asks tentatively, “Heh…” he reaches into his backpack and pulls up a slightly scrunched up green rose, “I saved it.”

“How did you get a green rose anyway?” I ask, lightly smiling.

“A magician never reveals his secrets.” he flirts, leaning in towards me.

“...it’s food dye, isn’t it?” I laugh.

He chuckles, “Yeah...its food dye.”

Our laughing dies down, and we’re left staring at each other once more, neither of us able to say anything. Should I tell him about the cameras in the gym? That he’ll be caught once the police check them? But...how can I?

“You know what, I think that after everything you’ve been through, you deserve a break.” I carefully phrase, “So, I’ll go with you to the dance, on one condition.”

“Yeah?” he whispers, his eyes lighting up.

“...no more Riddler stuff, okay?”

He instinctively grabs my shoulders and pulls me into a hug, “Oh, of course! I, I can’t believe it! Its a dream come true!” He pulls me away slightly, and suddenly lunges in to kiss me on the cheek.

My first kiss.

I jerk myself away, the spot on my cheek where he’d planted his lips still warm, “I...I’m sorry Joey.”

He smiles, gently clasping my hand, “It's okay. That was my first kiss too.”

I’ve never seen him acting like this, or ever knew he had this side to him. But then again, I had never known that he could be the Riddler either.

“No Joey, I’m, just not ready for a relationship. Lets, just be friends for now, okay?” I tell him, my breathing heavy and my eyes rapidly blinking.

He nods, “Alright.”

I get up to leave when he reaches out his hand, “Wait! Can...can you eat here today, with me? Martin isn’t talking to me and...and I don’t wanna be alone.”

I pause, the police are going to be looking through that footage any moment now, if they haven’t already...

“Oh course Joey, I’ll stay.” I tell him, sitting back down on the bench.

He pulls me into another hug and quietly begins sobbing into my shoulder.


	11. The Strange Secret of the Wayne Family

    I watch as the other students rush out to the front entrance. I do my best to keep up, but the fray of other students blocks most of my view of the on-goings outside. Even with my lack of sight, I can still hear the other students murmuring, as well as the sirens, and I can see the police car lights reflecting against the nearby street and buildings. I try to push my way further into the crowd when someone pulls me back,

“Hey, you don’t need to go through them. It’s on the news.” it’s Martin, holding up his cell phone.

The GNN feed shows from multiple angles a handcuffed Joey being carried away.

“I told you it was only a matter of time.” he repeats, putting his phone away.

“...I know.”

   The next week went by in a blur. I tried going on with life as if nothing had happened. But whenever I went to hang out with Martin, I always felt like there was something wrong, something missing.

That doesn’t mean I still haven’t been going out as Batman, I’ve just been avoiding doing anything near school, maybe it should stay that way.

Rumors fly around about the school having its own personal Batman. People make fake cowles and masks. There’s even a banner hanging on the main stairway saying, “Thank You Batman” with a bat-symbol underneath.

I walk into school on a Monday morning, tired as ever. I’d taken the weekend off to catch up on sleep, but it still wasn’t helping.

The moment I walk into the building I’m bombarded by Martin,

“Hey Kat, you’re not going to believe this, but we have two new transfer students from Gotham Academy!”

“Who?” I ask.

“Will and Talia Wayne, they’re on the second floor, c’mon!”

He grabs my wrist and pulls me up the narrow staircase to the second floor.

“Hey Martin, I’m really tired, and, I’m kind of not in the mood to meet them right now.” I confess, rubbing my eyes.

Martin stops in his tracks, “But…”

I sigh, “Fine.”

“Yay!” he claps, as he grabs my wrist again.

The minute we climb up to the second floor we see a large crowd of students have gathered around the four way intersection. In the center are Will and Talia Wayne, both sporting expensive attire. Using his towering height and wimpy physique, Martin snakes his way through the crowd of students,

“Hey, remember me? Martin O’ Connor, Gotham High Oracle, and this is my assistant Kat.”

he introduces as he brings out his iPhone.

I raise my eyebrow, assistant?!

Will shakes his hand, “It’s nice to see you again. I apologize for our behavior during our first meeting, we were all, very nervous.”

“Will you be doing an article on us?” Talia asks.

“Well, I’m honestly just part of the welcome wagon, but I could do an interview with you guys and feature you in the Student Spotlight.”

“Hey, can we ride in your limo?” a student yells out.

“Can we see your mansion?”

“Where’s your butler?”

“How much did those shoes cost?”

Will chuckles, “All right everybody, settle down, there will be plenty of time for questions later. But right now, we need to know where Ms. Gonzalez’s Spanish class is.”

“Oh, I have that class right now, its on the third floor.” I tell them. “You can follow me.”

“Thanks.” they reply in unison.

We walk down the second floor hallway to the main hallway, where the slowly inclining ramp to the third floor can be found.

“Why are the hallways in this school so nonsensical?” Talia asks.

I shrug, “The school’s built on a bunch of hills, so the hallways, ramps, and stairs are built with the hills in mind.” I pause a bit before asking, “So why’d you guys leave Gotham Academy?”

They both turn and look at each other, before turning back to look at me, and Talia speaks, “We found the education at Gotham Academy to be insufficient.”

I raise my eyebrow, “But, I heard that Gotham Academy is the best school in Gotham County.”

“Well, I’d say I’m liking Gotham High a lot.” Will says, eyeing the pictures of past graduated classes as we pass them, “So much history! All the greats attended here, like my great-grandfather, but not my grandfather, no, he was raised as an assassi-”

Talia punches Will in the jaw which knocks him to the ground, “My little brother is quite the jokester.”

Will easily picks himself up, rubbing his cheek, which has slightly reddened and is starting to puff out, “But in all seriousness, we’ve heard that the school has its own resident, ‘Batman’, that’s true, right?”

I nod slowly, biting my lip, “Uh, yeah, I mean, I’ve never seen him personally.”

Talia nods, “Well, tell us is you have any new information.

I shrug, “Yeah, sure.” but then I think, “Hey, if Will’s your younger brother, why do you guys have the same class?”

Talia lets out an annoyed sigh, “He’s skipped a few grades. He’s three years my junior and yet he’s the same grade as me. Its humiliating.”

“But hey, it means I get to be in all the same classes as you sis!” Will announces, bouncing around her.

“Shush! I refuse to let you get in the way of my goals and career, let alone let you upstage me.” Talia retorts, grabbing him by the head to hold him still.

Will blows a raspberry at her, “You’re just jealous that I have way more friends than you.”

“Shut up!” Talia shouts, throwing Will headfirst into a wall.

Will’s head makes a staggering hole in the plaster of the school wall, sending old chipped pieces of paint flying everywhere.

“Oh my god, are you okay?!” I shout, running to him.

Talia shrugs, “He’ll live, he always does.”

Will gets up, shaking the flakes of chipped paint out of his brown hair, “Yeah, I’m okay. Hey, the walls in this school are pretty weak, we should probably be more careful.”

That’s it? Not even an “owe”? Man, this guy must be made of steel.

Will hops back up without a scratch and continues walking, an uplifting bounce in his step. He and Talia continue walking and talking as if nothing had happened. I shrug and follow them, I guess this must be normal for them.

“So did you guys have a lot of friends at Gotham Academy?” I ask.

Talia replies, “No, we were much more focused on our stu-”

“Of course we did! There’s Harrison, Aleric, Ottie, Geneva, and a bunch more.” Will blurts out.

I nod, “Oh, Harrison Cobblepot? He was at the Debate Decathlon too, right?”

“Yeah, he’s my good friend, you should meet him sometime.” Will tells me.

“What about swimmer boy?” Talia asks.

Will smiles, “Oh yeah, Aleric is a good friend as well, and Ottie and Geneva are also good friends. We just...have a lot of good friends.”

Talia rolls her eyes, “They’re your good friends, not mine.”

We arrive at Ms. Gonzalez’s class just as the bell rings, “Senora Gonzalez, son dos estudiantes nueva.” I tell the teacher.

“Esta bien. Buenos dias chicos, como te llamas?” Ms. Gonzalez asks.

“Me llamo William. Te llama Talia.” Will introduces himself and his sister.

“Hey, there are two seats by me, if you guys want them.” I offer.

They walk over and take the two seats by me. Just as the late bell rings, Frank comes running in, his thin cross strap backpack flapping behind him.

“Wheew! Just made it!” he cheers, throwing his fists in the air.

“Sit down, Frank.” the teacher coldly tells him.

Ms. Gonzalez, clearly not in the mood to deal with us right now, has us working in our workbook for the entire class.

“You guys are still learning basic vocabulary?” Will asks, flipping through his shiny new workbook.

I nod, “Uhm...well, yeah. It’s a second language, it takes longer to learn.”.

Talia rolls her eyes, “Maybe I’ll take a third language to pass the time. What other languages does this school offer?”

“Well, there’s Mandarin.” I tell them.

“And?”

I pause, “...and Mandarin.”

“Hey, that sounds fun!” Will interjects.

“I already speak Mandarin.” Talia yawns.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Frank inching his desk closer to us, leaning over in our direction, “Hey, new guys! Where’re you guys from?”

“Gotham Academy for the Significantly Gifted.” Talia curtly tells him.

“Cool, that’s that boarding school out in the woods, right?”

“Mhm, but we were just day students. We’re Gotham City natives after all.” Will replies.

“Why’d you guys leave?”

Will shrugs, “We just, didn’t really like it there.”

I raise my eyebrow. Why are they being so vague?

Frank looks over at Talia, who’s quickly jotting things down in her workbook.

“Hey.” he greets, lifting himself out of his chair and slowly walking over behind her.

...really? Isn’t he going out with Tara?

“What’s your name?” he asks, his voice becoming syrupy and lower.

Will has officially buried his face in his book, his face a bright red, and is somewhere between a laugh and a sob.

“Talia Wayne, and you?”

“Frank. But my friends call me Frankie.”

I roll my eyes, “No they don’t.”

Franks spins around, “Jealous?”

I smile, “Hardly.”

“Silencio chicos!” Ms. Gonzalez yells out at us from her desk.

****  


**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Batman Continues V2](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2271327) by [Tando](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tando/pseuds/Tando)




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